Legion of Honor
by trimurti
Summary: [FE7, AU] When Lundgren became Marquess Caelin after Lord Hausen's death, Lyn and her friends were marked oathbreakers and outlaws. Lady Lyndis' story ended, but Lyndis' Legion's truly began.
1. 00 Escape

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

00. Escape

The girl called Lyndis was worth ten thousand gold alive. That was why the mercenary leader had the tactician killed first.

"Mark!" Lyn cried out, reaching out to him as he jerked back from the force of the arrow that sunk into his throat. Catching him, she settled him onto the ground, his head supported by her lap, and watched helplessly as the tactician she had sworn to fight for struggled to live. One of her hands worked long fingers through his thin brown hair as the other held him down, lest he hurt himself more with his thrashing around. She twisted around, staring at her companions with a silent plea shining in her eyes.

_What should I do?  
_  
They stared back, horror and sadness etched onto their faces. There was nothing they could do; Serra had fled west two days ago, when word of Lord Hausen's death came to them in the form of a regiment of Caelin's army.

The hand on Mark's chest twitched upwards, towards the arrow shaft. "Lady Lyndis, it may be poisoned!" Kent warned, reaching out to her from the saddle as if he could stop her in time, but even as he spoke she knew it was too late. She felt Mark expel one last breath, his body quaking all the while, and that was it.

He was dead.

"No," she whispered. She wanted to shake him awake, just as she used to do to Wil and Sain just days before, when the future seemed so clear. The promise of family was just before her, of reuniting and leaving those lonely days in a small ger on the plains of Sacae behind. She was going to be Mark's peerless warrior, so he couldn't be dead. He was going to help her meet the grandfather she had never known, so he couldn't be dead.

He couldn't be dead. They couldn't be dead. Her grandfather, Mark...this wasn't what was supposed to happen.

It wasn't, she believed, but when her tears fell onto Mark's face, he didn't move.

"T-they're coming c-closer..." she heard Florina whimper, and she cringed as she heard the pain behind her best friend's soft voice. Florina already had an injury on her shoulder that prevented her from attacking as well as she could. Unfortunately, Lyn saw that Florina was right; the mercenaries had already surrounded them. Beside the leader was the archer who had murdered Mark; he was already reaching for another arrow.

Hate, deep and dark, welled up inside of her.

"Never fear, sweet Florina!" Sain cried. When Lyn glanced at him, she saw that he was already brandishing his favored weapon, a spear that looked as if it had seen better days. "Your dear Sain will protect you with every ounce of valor in his body!" A ghost of a smile crept up on her face at Sain's usual braggadocio, before she remembered that, during their first battle while trying to escape Caelin, he'd had his leg sliced through as he took the blow meant for her.

"Sain, be serious!" Kent snapped. Lyn pursed her lips as she softly moved Mark off of her lap, favoring her left leg as she stood up. She didn't want Kent to fight; he'd been stabbed just above his hip by an overzealous thief yesterday, and even their last vulnerary hadn't helped the wound heal as much as she would've liked.

So as to not alert the others, Lyn caught Wil's eye, then cut her eyes towards the opposing archer. He blinked, still disoriented from the last battle, when an axe-user slammed the wooden part of a simple half-axe against his head. Even now, he couldn't remember what had happened during that battle. After she repeated the motion, he seemed to understand, even giving her a small half-smile as he casually reached for his quiver.

_They're all being hurt because of me_, Lyn thought, self-hatred darkening her demeanor. She reached for the hilt of her iron sword, wincing as her shoulder protested at the movement. _We're all being hurt._

_With Mark, we were lucky to get through our battles without receiving worse injuries. Now...now what should I do? Mark was calm, always rational, but I cannot claim the same._

_Father Sky, Mother Earth...what do I do?_

She noticed the mercenary leader shift slightly, pulling a halberd from where it had been strapped on his back. He looked like nothing more than a scruffier version of the halberdiers that Caelin's foot soldiers were comprised of, but she wasn't blind. The way he held the weapon stated he could bar any attack and promise a devastating counter in return; his footwork suggested a sturdiness that would not be foiled by more agile opponents.

If she had been well-rested and fresh, the battle would be hard. On the run, with injuries that had yet to heal, however...

"Surrender, girl," he said, all quiet dignity with just a pinch of disdain. "Your plot's been foiled, you've nowhere to run...just give up. Execution at the castle's much more than your lot deserves, but it's better than dying like dogs here."

_Lying bitch!_

"No," she whispered. The days blurred together. The battles, the words...they were all the same in the end.

_Filthy savage!_

"What?"

_Stinking outlaws!_

She should have never come here.

"Go!" she screamed, a roar of anguish bursting from her, a plea to Father Sky and Mother Earth to survive one more battle, one more, just one more! As she lunged forward, she heard the familiar twang of Wil's bow, and watched in satisfaction as one arrow thudded into the enemy archer's shoulder. The next arrow sunk into the archer's eye, avenging their fallen comrade.

Lyn heard the flutter of wings, the heavy hoof beats, and fire raced through her in response. Jumping in front of an axe-wielder with the sort of girth that screamed 'target', she ducked the first wild swing, the force of the blow audibly carving through the air. She dashed forward, pulling out her sword from its scabbard and slicing up through the fighter's belly in one fluid motion before spinning around, the blade of her sword wetly tearing through his flesh perpendicular to the first wound. The mercenary screamed, sinking to his knees as he dropped his axe in favor of holding together his stomach, and Lyn moved on.

'Be the wind.' That was the rule of the Sacaean sword arts. Her father had taught her that a lifetime ago.

Twisting around, she narrowly avoided losing an arm to a sword-bearing mercenary. Her footwork off, she raised her sword to block the next blow, an overhead slash that forced her to her knees. With a grunt, she pushed up on the sword bearing down on her, then shifted to the right, forcing the other sword-user on the defensive as she stepped forward and swung vertically downward. The tip of her sword cut into the mercenary's thigh, eliciting a grunt and a wild counterattack that had her jumping back to avoid the gleaming steel. He followed her, and she could see the veins on his arms straining with the exertion of wielding the larger sword as he brandished it, his moves telegraphed just enough that she could sidestep his attacks, but not enough to give her another opening.

Hoof beats were her only warning as a javelin flew past her, glancing off of the mercenary's hip. As he jerked back, Lyn followed, her blade carving a path into the man's side. He toppled over, coughing blood, and her blade tore open his throat as she moved past him. She smiled tightly as Kent rode up to the discarded javelin and retrieved it before returning to the fray of the battle. Glancing around, she saw the mercenary leader standing off to the side, observing the battle.

Their eyes met. She couldn't see anything in his eyes. It was as if he was beyond the battle already, beyond victory or failure, living or dying.

To him, she was already dead.

Anger throbbed through her, as well as a deepening sense of fear. It was one thing to spar with the other children of the Lorca, and another to fight to the death. It was one thing to kill bandits for the crimes they had already committed, as well as the ones they would commit to keep living their pathetic lives. It was one thing to fight arrogant fools who bumbled around and underestimated her, and another thing entirely to fight a professional.

Be the wind, she told herself. She couldn't let any more of her friends die.

She charged forward, her breaths short bursts, her muscles and bruises protesting.

She charged forward, all adrenaline and spiking nerves.

She charged forward. She might have been screaming.

The mercenary leader stood his ground, and she knew there was no way she could break his defense with one blow, her favorite way of attacking. Committed to the attack, she lunged, the iron blade screeching against the handle of the halberd. His knee came crashing into her stomach, and she twisted as soon as she hit the ground, narrowly dodging the blade of the weapon as it sank into the spot she had just fallen. Coughing, fighting the urge to vomit, she struggled to stand, and only her reflexes saved her as she sidestepped his thrust. There was no conscious thought, just movement, as she hacked into his arm before moving to duck under it and sink her sword into his heart.

The other end of the halberd swept up, connecting with the underside of her jaw. Her world brightened with the force of a rupturing sun as sharp flashes of light exploded in her head. She collided with the ground, her jaw aching, tears streaming down her face.

"Lyn!"

_Oh no oh no Florina don't--!_ Lyn screamed in the depths of her mind as she fought to stand, loosely holding onto the hilt of her sword as she used it like a cane. She looked up, fully expecting to see the bladed end of the halberd rushing towards her face, but instead she saw Florina swooping down at the mercenary leader like an eagle towards its prey. Her best friend spun the slim lance once, thrusting it into the man's shoulder and ripping it out on her climb upward. Lyn felt relieved for a single moment before Florina regained enough altitude to begin another dive; after all, the mercenary leader was still upright. Cautiously, she stood, pure agony throbbing seductively from her jaw, calling at her to fall asleep and never wake...

Florina dove, but this time the mercenary leader was ready. As Lyn watched in horror, he raised his weapon; as he sidestepped Florina's attack, he swung the halberd. Red ribbons of blood erupted from Florina's arm as the tip of the blade tore into her arm from wrist to elbow.

Florina screamed, and Lyn screamed with her.

Later, Lyn would only be able to shake her head in confusion over what happened next. All she would remember was anger, brighter and hotter than the Sacaean sun, as it overwhelmed her with its embrace. The hate from before blossomed, petal after petal enfolding her. And yet, there was something else, something pure, something that made it all okay as she lunged at the mercenary with a sword that gleamed red with blood.

_I won't let anyone else die!_

It was beautiful, whatever it was. It was as right as the way she felt when she drove her sword across the man's chest while he was still distracted. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she pivoted, pushing up from her toes as she slashed through the mercenary leader's back. Blood flew in rivets as she continued to tear into her enemy, spurred on by the furiously pounding hatred in her head and the quiet need to protect in her heart.

Her wounds were screaming when she skidded to a stop, long after, moments after she began her assault. The mercenary leader slumped to the ground, his blood soaking into the earth from his multiple wounds. All she could do was stare at his body as she struggled to remember how to breathe.

She had been the wind, she thought. The vicious, slicing gales that tore through everything in their path without a care. A cruel wind, a wind of destruction and disaster.

_I don't know if I like that.  
_  
A muffled whimper brought Lyn out of her thoughts. She turned to see Florina, who had landed, holding onto her wounded arm. Crimson ran down the length of her arm, dripping onto the pegasus' pure white coat. "Ah! Florina!" Lyn cried, and with a quick swipe downward to get rid of the blood on the sword, she sheathed it and hurried to her friend's side. "We have to stop the blood flow..."

"Here, Lady Lyndis," Kent said, riding up to the both of them, a strip of dark cloth in one hand. Taking it, Lyn was about to ask where he had gotten it when she noticed the clothing of the fallen mercenaries, as well as similar strips tied to Wil's upper arm and Sain's calf. _Everyone is hurting_, she thought as she nodded her thanks and turned to work on Florina's arm.

_Everyone is hurting, and I don't know what to do.  
_  
As Florina offered a small, tremulous smile to her, she could hear Kent dismounting behind her. "Milady, we must leave immediately."

She whirled around, ready to agree, when she caught sight of Mark's dark green robes. His body had somehow been left undisturbed during the battle, and seeing him lay there, the arrow still sticking out of his throat, formed something thick and heavy in her own throat. "Kent, I understand, but we can't leave Mark there..."

Kent closed his eyes in the same way he had in Khathelet, lines of stress marking his brow. There seemed to be more now than there had been when she had decided to delay their journey to help Nils, and it pained her to see his disapproval etched upon his youthful features. "I urge you to reconsider, Lady Lyndis," he said, his voice soft and tinged with only the faintest cracking of his stoic demeanor. "Although I understand your concern, we must cross into Santaruz before reinforcements arrive."

_Will we be safe there?_ Lyn didn't ask. She was naive to the Lycian ways, but she thought that the bonds between the cantons were stronger and more complicated than those of the tribes of Sacae. This was obvious to her since they had left Araphen; Marquess Araphen broke his word to protect himself. If Lundgren asked of it, Araphen would actively turn against them. All of Lycia could. But, for now, Kent was right. In the future, they might not be safe anywhere, but for now they were only unsafe in Caelin.

The difference between life and death could be in the time it took to dig a grave.

"I understand," she tried to say around the thick lump of self-loathing stuck in her throat. Turning to Florina, she attempted a smile. "Florina, can you fly with that arm?"

Her friend managed a small nod. "Yes...i-it doesn't hurt too much..."

"Good," she said, trying to sound strong. "We'll get it properly treated once we're on safer ground, I promise."

As Kent helped her onto his horse, as they departed for the Caelin-Santaruz border, Lyn did not look back. Caelin may have been the home of her mother's family, but there was nothing left for her now. The Lorca, Caelin...both parts of her heritage were now lost to her within half a year.

Where could they go? What was left for them?

_I don't know what to do.  
_

-to be continued-

It's my birthday, and I'll post what I want to--

To be honest, I like the tutorial chapters the most. Lyn's personal quest to discover her roots of her mother's side, exacerbated by the loss of her parents and the months of loneliness, strikes me as very touching and compact. However, the story behind the failure to reach her grandfather in time seems to me like it could do more for Lyn and the others in the terms of character growth--and they will have to come to terms with these new circumstances, or they will die. If this interests you, welcome!

Please spread the TacticianDeath!meme! I know everyone else's Mark was something very cool and secretive, but mine was a pervert who forced people together and took up precious battle time so he could peep at their most intimate moments.

**01**: Lyn, Kent, Sain, Florina and Wil...this is all that remains of Lyndis' Legion. With little in the way of supplies, worsening wounds, and nowhere to go, they decide to go see Eliwood in Khathelet. But, in the wake of Lord Hausen's death, old allies may yet become new enemies...


	2. 01 Our Only Friend

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

01. Our Only Friend

The ride to Santaruz was made at a cautious pace, moreso because of the newest set of wounds they had received. Even Sain, who was known for his reckless riding, took to the same steady speed as Kent. Lyn, who sat in front of Kent on his horse, thought she knew why; Wil looked ready to fall out of the saddle he was sharing with Sain. Every wobble made her nervous, but sometimes Wil would look over at her and smile so widely, so normally, that her fears couldn't help but die.

Then he would look away, and his eyes would cloud over in that detached manner that was the complete opposite of Wil's lively personality, and her fears were brought back to life.

It was a little different with Florina, who flew point. Her best friend was a poor liar, so Lyn couldn't help but believe Florina when she said that she could still fly. Instead, Lyn was afraid of nightfall, when they would make camp and she would have to change Florina's bandages. They all knew a little about treating wounds, but they had been spoiled by Serra's presence. Healing magic was a beautiful thing, easily repairing all wounds and ending worries about infections, and it was obvious to Lyn that Serra wielded it with the same flourish that Sain took to the lance.

Lyn knew that she was a poor substitute, and the thought of not being able to help her best friend made her sick.

As the sun began to set behind a cover of clouds, Kent slowed his horse to a trot. "We need to find a suitable place to set up camp for the night, but we also need adequate shelter from those who may yet still be after us," he said, his voice just loud enough to reach Sain. In the sky, Florina began to make a lazy turn from her position; Lyn raised an arm to signal her to land. She did so, but Lyn saw the flash of pain on her face as her pegasus 'bounced' onto the ground. Despite that, Florina smiled at Lyn before approaching her side.

"Come now, Kent. Do you really think they would hunt us now? It's much too dark for that. I say we find a small village with actual beds. We've been resting our heads on rocks for the last few days!" Sain argued.

"With what money?" Kent asked, his voice much sharper than Lyn had ever heard it before. "We gave it to the others to assist with their own escapes. Besides, it would be too easy for any mercenaries to find us should we head to a village, if there are even any villages around."

"Ah, always the pessimist! I could go scout around with Wil and be back before nightfall. You won't even miss us!"

Wil groaned, rubbing his head with the hand that was not gloved. "Sorry, but can you keep it down? My head hurts."

"Well, perhaps I'll go alone, then," Sain amended.

Behind her, Lyn could feel Kent's frustration grow and decided to speak up before an argument could get underway. As flippant as Sain could be, Lyn felt that the events of the day had worn everyone down enough that even the usual routine could become very nasty. "Sain, right now it's better if we stay together. Lundgren won't stop just because we're in Santaruz, will he?"

"No, I think not," Kent answered, and she could see his arm as he pointed to a nearby glen. "That should prove a satisfactory site for tonight."

Sain sighed. "Well, at least there are bushes to rest my head on."

"Not likely," Kent replied. Lyn thought she could hear the weariness in his voice, a waver like a dying fire. "We're both on watch tonight."

She only caught the tail end of Sain's complaints as Kent rode away, only stopping once they reached the small grouping of trees. Once there, Lyn could feel Kent pause for a moment. "Forgive us, Lady Lyndis. Although we have managed this far, I am afraid Sain doesn't realize the severity of our situation..."

"Kent," she said, turning to him. In the twilight he looked grim, the shadows accentuating his downturned mouth and hollow eyes. For all the things she had lost, she knew that they were incomparable to what Kent had lost: a liege, his honor, his knighthood in Caelin. All because he refused to leave her side. She attempted to smile, if only for his sake. "At a time like this, it's nice to see Sain acting the same. It's...normal."

His expression did not change. "As you say, milady. It only worries me that, at a critical juncture, he will underestimate the situation." There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes, one that confused Lyn. "We should set up camp." Dismounting from his horse, he held a hand out to help her down. "Lady Lyndis, forgive me for my impropriety. You already have so much to think about."

Lyn shook her head, uncomfortable at Kent's willingness to belittle his own worries, as well as... "Kent, you know...with my grandfather's death and Lundgren's ascension...I am not longer heir apparent to Caelin. Really...I can't be considered your 'lady liege'. We're equals now."

For a long moment, there was only silence between them, tense in a way she had never felt from Kent. He had always been so polite, always available for her to discuss her problems with--though never any personal ones. There was an aura of competence that neatly surrounded him without a wrinkle, but now, as he looked at her, he only looked lost and unwilling to admit it. Finally, he sighed. "Milady, you must be tired. You have put us ahead of yourself far more than was necessary in the last few days, and I feel that you, most of all, could use an uninterrupted night to rest."

_He really won't admit it. He'll keep going on like this_, she thought as she took his hand, taking care not to jostle her aching muscles and minor wounds as she dismounted. _I can't do anything for him._

_I can't do anything.  
_

-0-

_Soldiers. So many soldiers, a whole army, marching towards them. Some are foot soldiers, carrying spears or swords. Others are knights on horseback. Because she is the leader, because she is in the front, she sees them all._

_Instinctively, she knows this means they failed._

_Mark, the man she trusts more than anything, purses his lips as she turns to look at him. She can't help the silent plea on her face, she can't help how, suddenly, there seems to be a massive rock deep in her stomach just sitting there, heavy with fear and anger and what are we going to do--_

_"Retreat," Mark whispers, wringing his hands. "We need to plan a retreat."_

_No one argues. There is no time._

_She only watches the slow, steady approach of the army as Mark yells and points and organizes the group, the legion of fifteen. He orders that Serra, Erk and Matthew go northwest and General Wallace, Dorcas and Lucius go east and Rath, Ninian and Nils go north and please don't argue with me General Wallace no we can't fight through them no matter how powerful you are and please, Rath, you're going with them because Ninian can't escape on her ankle and would you all please listen to me and all Lyn had wanted to do was meet her grandfather._

_That was all._

_"Just go," she says as she turns around. Everyone stares at her, their gazes sympathetic and worried. "You need to worry about yourselves," she continues, more sharply than she intended._

_"But...but what about you?" Serra asks. Serra has always been delightfully blunt that way, and right now Lyn hates her for it because if she doesn't have an answer, no one will escape before the troops overwhelm them._

_Mark touches her arm, and she steadies. Something about Mark always did that to her, making her think and believe and hope. "She'll be going to Khathelet to seek out Lord Eliwood," he answers in measured tones. "But she can't go with any of you because those men are hunting her. The rest of you are superfluous--pardon my words, General Wallace--and many of you have lives to return to. Your help has been invaluable, but this is where it ends."_

_This is where it ends._

_They go, with only Rath stalling to look directly into Lyn's eyes. She gazes back evenly, knowing exactly what her fellow plainsman wants to say. If he saw any measure of weakness in her eyes, Mark's words would be nothing more than the hum of bees or some other pest. Finally, he nods, his face blank. "May the wind be at your back, Lyn." She repeats his words and then he is gone, the siblings in tow._

_"Khathelet is a good destination, but I suppose we'll be going the long way," Kent says, startling her. She turns and sees the rest of them, standing by, awaiting orders. _

_"No, you also need to escape," Lyn argues. They're closer now; she can see the outline of a flag in the back of the army. She doesn't understand why they have a flag, until she remembers that her grandfather's death means Lundgren is now marquess._

_It's official. Her death is a matter of procedure now, instead of the assassination attempts of before._

_"I won't leave you!" Florina yells through her tears. Lyn didn't know she had it in her. _

_"Florina, thank you, but--"_

_"No, this is--this is a good idea," Mark interrupts. "You have a great sword arm, but that's an army marching towards us. Sain, Wil, are you both also in agreement?"_

_"Why, I'm hurt you would even ask!" Sain grins, winks at her. "Lady Lyndis, fear not! My lance is yours to command!"_

_Wil smiles, smiles so bright that Lyn hurts to see it. "Yeah! After all, we're Lyndis' Legion!"_

-0-

Lyn opened her eyes and saw only darkness. There was the distant crackle of a fire somewhere behind her head, the hooting of owls overhead, and her own heartbeat. Her stomach was warm with the rabbit Wil had hunted for their dinner, although that didn't mean he was all right now; he had fallen asleep so quickly that it looked more like he had passed out. Kent had believed it to be a minor concussion and Sain had wondered out loud if it was okay to let Wil sleep. Florina had said nothing; when Lyn had taken her to wash and rewrap her wound, Florina had only spoke haltingly, and only to direct questions. 

_Khathelet_, Lyn thought. Mark had thought Eliwood could help them.

She hoped so. 

-0-

"He's not here."

Lyn started, so focused on rewrapping Florina's bandages that she hadn't heard Wil approach. She had to shield her eyes with one hand in order to see his face without the sun's glare blinding her, but she found that his worried face was a poor reward for her actions. "Are you sure?" she had to ask, searching for that little scrap of hope.

"I went to the inn by the road, and the innkeeper said that Lord Eliwood had already left days ago," he answered, crouching down and glancing at the river beside them. It was something Lyn was thankful of, that there was some fresh water to wash Florina's wound with so close to the place where she had first met Nils, Ninian, Lucius and Eliwood.

_I hope they're doing well. No, I'm sure of it. Since Lundgren's forces are chasing after me, they should be fine. _

"T-then," Florina began, looking smaller than usual in her hunched-over position, her injured arm still on Lyn's lap, "Lord Eliwood...he must have returned home."

_The son of Pherae's marquess_, Lyn thought, staring at the bank on the other side of where she sat. _I wonder where Pherae is? Kent should know..._

"Another thing, Lyndis," Wil said, interrupting her thoughts. When she looked at him again, she was surprised that the expression he wore now was...apologetic? "The innkeeper already knows about Caelin. A traveler came by a few days ago with the news. Lord Eliwood was there, and when he heard he left immediately."

"I see." Closing her eyes, Lyn bit back the sigh that threatened to escape from her. Things only seemed to get worse and worse, but she couldn't say as much and demoralize her companions. Though, judging by the apologetic look on Wil's face and the way Florina seemed to shrink even more into herself, as if trying to escape all the bad news that seemed to assault them from every direction, there wasn't much Lyn could say that could make things any worse.

What could she say? Brave words bubbled up from within her, but they all seemed to pop long before she could say them or even relish the false sense of hope they gave her.

_I have to be strong for everyone. We...this can't be the end. It can't..._

The sound of hooves thudding along the ground grew louder and louder until they overcame her thoughts, but she didn't raise her head until she heard Kent say, "Milady, we've canvassed the area and it still appears to be safe." With her hand shielding her eyes, Lyn could clearly see the confusion that crossed his face as he met her gaze. "Have you not met with Lord Eliwood yet?"

"No," she said, unsure of how to tell him about the latest setback. After pursing her lips in weary frustration, she could only say, "He's already heard about Caelin and has gone home." Looking away from his clouded expression, she finished tying Florina's bandages and softly patted her friend's arm before standing. There was a twinge in her back and soreness along her thighs from the combination of rough sleeping and hard riding to get this far, but the physical ache was nothing compared to the deadness of the air around them.

To Lyn, it felt like an omen.

"Come now!" Sain exclaimed, though Lyn thought he sounded forced. "Why all the sudden gloom?"

Kent shook his head as if it were an effort to do so. "Sain, this is hardly the time for your prattle."

"Prattle? If not for our many years of friendship, I might have been insulted by your choice of words." The lightheartedness of Sain's chastisement seemed to show on his face for a moment before a more mature cast settled over his features. "Now, now, this is far from what should be acceptable for Lyndis' Legion. If Lord Eliwood has gone home, then surely we must follow him! After all, this location is far too close to Caelin for him to offer us any help, so soon after his last boon of kindness. Did he not say that he could no longer grant us any assistance?"

There was silence. "Um, you just contradicted yourself," Wil finally offered.

"Did I? Hm...ah!" Leaning forward on his horse, Sain's expression bordered on the devious. "Of course Eliwood could no longer assist us when it came to matters _here_."

_What?_ Lyn frowned, both confused and strangely excited. "When you say here..."

"Lady Lyndis, you understand!" Real pleasure shone on Sain's expressive face. "No longer can the marquess' son intervene on our behalf when it comes to the cantons around Caelin. Now we must ask a favor from Pherae's marquess himself, so his son is leading the way!"

Unlike Sain, there was still doubt lingering on Kent's features. "I am unsure. If the news of Lundgren's ascension has already reached the ears of all those who border Caelin, what can Pherae's marquess do? With Lord Hausen's passing, Lundgren became the only recognized successor. Lord Elbert cannot be seen aiding those who the accepted Marquess Caelin calls traitor."

If anything, Lyn thought that Sain looked even more sure. "You're a true knight, but you've a poor mind for cloak-and-dagger situations. Of course Marquess Pherae can't be seen as our benefactor! That's why we've to go all the way to Pherae, which not only does not border Caelin but is also out of earshot for any interested agents of Lundgren." He caught Lyn's eye and smiled at her. "Do you not think so, milady?"

_He's right. He has to be right. From what I've seen of Eliwood, he would've stayed behind to inform us if he couldn't help. That he left so quickly must mean otherwise._

A small, deceitful part of Lyn nagged at her, telling her not to grasp so quickly at the first sight of hope. In such a dire time, they could not afford to believe so easily. And yet, as she looked around at all her companions' faces, from Wil's smile of relief to Florina's teary eyes to Kent's normal expression of composure, she could not let go of that lifeline of hope just yet.

Not ever, Father Sky and Mother Earth willing.

-0-

Spring had long come to Pherae by the time they arrived. As they neared the castle from the north, the road they took stood between the sea and the mountains. The scent of the ocean was invigorating to Lyn, who had never seen the sea before, and that, combined with her excitement of soon seeing Eliwood and finding a solution to their problems, felt as though it was nothing less than a blessing from Father Sky. Kent and Sain had been kind enough to explain the basics about this new land, though Wil, when he was willing and able, also shared a few things. On the other side of the mountains was Bern, and once while they rode Lyn imagined she could see the faint shapes of wyverns over the mountains. As the southernmost canton of the Lycian League, it was both one of the most powerful states in the country as well as fairly isolated. And while Kent told her of Pherae's knights in general terms--with Sain adding that he had heard their elite knight squad now had a woman--Wil would speak about Pherae in more specific terms after they set up the campsite and waited for the others to return from their duties.

"Pherae has one of the strongest knight squads in all of Lycia," he explained as he sat against the sturdy trunk of an apple tree, his legs outstretched in front of him. "It's mostly made up of cavaliers, but they're said to be equal to Ostia's armor knights."

"You know a lot about Pherae," Lyn remarked, rubbing her shoulders as she paced about, nervous energy rolling inside her stomach. According to him when they had stopped for the night, Castle Pherae was less than a day away; they would arrive by noon tomorrow if they continued early the next morning. She smiled at him when he looked up at her in what appeared to be embarrassment. "It's thanks to you that we were able to arrive here so quickly. You even know all the best roads."

"Yeah, well, I...nothing's really changed around here, so..."

"Oh? Are you Pheraean then, Wil?"

"Eh, well..." He looked even more embarrassed now. "Kind of?"

_And he was in Bern when we met him...I wonder if he's homesick and just hid it for our sake._ A sudden, inexplicable sadness washed over her for a moment, but she took a deep breath and focused on the present. _No, I shouldn't think about that right now. Perhaps Wil misses his family. If that's so, I shouldn't selfishly keep him with me. _"Is your village near here?"

There was surprise on his face as he looked at her, the sunset giving his face more of a healthy glow than he had shown recently. "It's near the castle." His words seemed slower, more pensive. "Why?"

"If it pleases you," she began, her heart heavy with the idea of parting, "we could take you there before we arrive at the castle."

His eyes were wide. "W-what?" Scrambling to his knees, he looked as though he was beseeching her. "Have I really been that unhelpful?"

"No, of course not!" Shaken, Lyn knelt down in front of him. "You've been a great help, I promise you. We've been relying on you to hunt and to go into villages on our behalf, even though you still don't seem fully recovered. I only thought that you might want to see your home."

_I thought you might like to see your parents while you still can._

"Lyndis, I...hmph." Wil's brow was furrowed in what she assumed--hoped--was thought and not pain from his now-infrequent headaches. "I'd rather stay with Lyndis' Legion. I might not be completely well, but I can still hold my bow! If you think I'm a burden I'll go, but after traveling with everyone for this long I feel like I need to stay for as long as I can." He looked sheepish as his eyes met hers, but she could tell that he was not unsure or hesitant in the least. "That's okay, right?"

"As long as you're willing, I'd love for you to stay. I don't know how everything will end up, but having you with us is a comfort." She smiled, a feeling of lightness shaking out the wrinkles of nervousness that had bunched up in her stomach. "Thank you, Wil."

The next day, as they traveled to Castle Pherae, she remembered that sense of relief she had felt once she was assured that Wil would continue to travel with them. Although she thought it was strange that he would rather stay with them instead of go home, she kept it to herself.

A part of her didn't want to lose any more companions, no matter what.

Ahead of them, she could see Florina in the air, her pegasus peacefully gliding with the light breeze. The sight made Lyn smile; it reminded her of Sacae, and how she would borrow her father's horse and ride with Florina in the wide, empty plains, the grasses rippling as the winds blew, the sun shining down on them. How she missed those days, when life was simple and she never thought beyond the next day.

"Hm? What is our lovely flower doing?"

Lyn abandoned her fondest memories at the sound of Sain's voice. In the sky, Florina could be seen turning in a graceful half-circle as she headed now in their direction. Confused, Lyn could only watch as Florina landed a few feet behind them, the pegasus trotting up to them as Kent and Sain slowed their stride. "Florina?" Lyn asked, concern for her friend making her sit up, ready to jump off of Kent's horse. "What's wrong? Is your arm hurting?"

"N-no," Florina said, one hand rubbing the wrappings that covered the wound. She pointed towards the castle, the towers of which could be seen from their position. "T-there are knights headed this way...they signaled for me to land."

"Knights from the castle?" To Lyn, Kent's profile looked vaguely disturbed. He looked at Florina. "Can you describe their number and formation?"

"Y-yes. About fifteen cavaliers, they were in formation...um, three columns of five. I...I've never seen that before."

"I see." Kent turned to face the castle. "We should wait, then."

Although Lyn was confused, asking Kent what was happening did not sit well inside her the longer she stared at the back of his head. She glanced at the others; Florina and Wil looked like how she felt, but on Sain's face there was something more troubling than even Kent's sudden reticence. There was a grave quality to his narrowed eyes and set jaw that didn't fit the man whom she knew to be lively and boastful, and she didn't like it.

The Pheraean knights soon arrived, the sound of their hoofbeats more reminiscent of an invading army than possible allies. The three columns Florina had described separated as the knights came into view; the two outer lines seemed to swoop around them as the middle column changed from a single file line into a horizontal formation, never breaking rank as they surrounded their much smaller group in an enclosed circle. Like Kent and Sain, these Pheraean knights wore armor of red or green, though unlike the duo the red knights seemed larger and stronger while the green knights had more wiry frames. Directly in front of them was the anomaly of the group, an older man wearing gold armor, the hair on the top of his head and his facial hair both a dusky purple.

"Pherae's General Marcus?" Lyn heard Kent whisper; she had to resist asking him for more information. This was good, as the apparent general began to speak.

"You are the girl Lyndis and the Caelin oathbreakers?"

Lyn's eyes widened as a terrible feeling began to compress inside her. "What? Pardon me, but--"

"Lady Lyndis," Kent said, his tone brooking no argument. She lowered her head, her heart racing with fear. "Our apologies. We are in the service of the granddaughter of the former Marquess Caelin, and a legitimate claimant of Caelin's throne. We would ask Marquess Pherae for asylum."

General Marcus was as stone as he stared at them, and Lyn could feel hope withering inside her. As if he had not heard Kent, he addressed his knights. "We will put them in the dungeon and send a messenger to Caelin informing Marquess Caelin to send for them." To them, he said, "Get off the horses."

"Come now, surely you jest!" Sain exclaimed, his outraged expression belying words normally said to tease others. "You would not even hear our side? Has Lundgren promised to fill Pherae's coffers with gold in return for our heads? Is there no honor in Pherae?"

"Sain, you go too far!" and there was something dark and desperate clawing out of Kent's words, as if he himself agreed with Sain's words but denied himself this.

Lyn, trembling with shock, anger and betrayal, hated Kent's composure at that moment.

"No! Please!"

Lyn turned to see a few Pheraean knights surround Florina, whose pegasus was bucking and flapping its wings in obvious agitation. Without a thought, Lyn jumped off of Kent's horse and ran to her best friend. "Florina!" she managed to get out before two lances were jabbed in her direction. She stopped but otherwise did not mind the knights as she yelled, "Florina! Please calm down! Everything will be fine, but you must calm down!"

The Sacaean people never lie, but she remembered Mark's death and the thought of seeing her best friend die was a blade of fear that struck her heart.

She could not see what happened next for all the knights on horseback that blocked her way, but soon Florina was on foot. Her friend ran towards her and Lyn held her, ignoring Florina's tears as they soaked her clothing in favor of simply stroking the younger girl's hair and whispering reassurances.

"Everything will be all right. Everything will be fine. I promise you this, so please be strong."

Lies, so many lies. Her throat was clogged with lies.

The others had dismounted and were with her, Lyn could sense that much, but all she could concentrate on was her words, as if they could comfort her or Florina or somebody. But here in Pherae, as she and her dearest companions were led to Castle Pherae's dungeons, all she could feel was betrayal and the death of hope.

She wasn't sure which one was worse.

-to be continued-

Well, this is just a little late. I feel very nervous posting on this story again after so long. Welcome to the restart of _Legion of Honor_! This will be a weekly serial, barring those times when uploading is disabled, in which case means that the chapter will appear the following Thursday. Thank you for reading, as always!

02: Pherae's dungeon is a dark, dank place, and Lyndis' Legion can do little more than wait out their death sentence--the arrival of the transport to Caelin. If there was a chance for only a few of them to escape, leaving the others to inevitable death, could they take it? 


	3. 02 Caged

"I just want to ask one question," Lyn said just as General Marcus began to close the cell door. There was only one room for the five of them, but she thought that was all right. She didn't want to be apart from any of them at the moment.

Also, she wanted them to hear this. They all deserved to know.

The Pheraean paused. A thin beam of light streamed through the space left by the unclosed door. "I will answer it," he said after a moment.

Permission granted, and yet Lyn found it hard to actually get the words out. The effort was akin to physically wrenching the words out of her throat, and it seemed just as painful. "Does he...does Eliwood know about this?"

There was no pause this time. "I am the sword and shield of Marquess Pherae and his family. Every action I take is on their order."

"I see," was all Lyn could say.

The door closed, cutting off the stream of light like an executioner's axe.

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

02. Caged

Without a word, Lyn turned around, taking in her first real view of their cell. There wasn't much to take in; there was a small, barred window high above the wall opposite of the door, and underneath the window was a wooden bench the length of the wall. While she had been talking to the Pheraean general, there seemed to have been a consensus made between her companions that allowed Wil full reign of the bench, while Kent and Sain sat against one wall and Florina curled up against the other. The sky beyond the window was bright and clear, early afternoon by the latest.

No one spoke as she took the few steps available in the cramped cell and sat down beside Florina, who only sniffled as Lyn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and stroked her hair in what Lyn hoped was a comforting manner. Across from her, Lyn noticed the very different temperaments of the men in front of her--Sain with his legs sprawled out in front of him while Kent sat in a more restricted manner, back ramrod-straight against the wall--yet their faces wore nearly the same, solemn expression. When she turned her head to the right, she could see Wil hunched over with his shoulders rigid and his hands loosely clasped between his knees. While they had been allowed to keep their armor, all their weapons had been confiscated. It surprised Lyn how different everyone looked without their weapons, or how light she felt without a sword hanging from her belt.

She felt naked. Stripped of weapons and mounts, there was no enemy they could fight and win. Stripped of outside help, all they could do was wait to die.

It was like they were lower than animals.

_I hate this._

It was a thought, a single thought, but for Lyn it was enough. If she couldn't depend on someone she had thought of as a friend, then she would depend on herself. If there wasn't any hope left for them, then she would create hope. She remembered that fateful night, when all she could do was run as her tribe was slaughtered. She remembered how Mark died, when all she could do was hold him as he struggled for one last breath.

_That's enough. This won't be the end!_

But even though she could think this, even though she hadn't lost the will to fight...she didn't know what she could do to improve their lot.

Here, now, Lyn realized how little she really knew.

The quiet was oppressive, and Lyn hated it. Yet, she didn't know what to say. What could she say? She searched for words, good ones that would cheer them up, brighten their spirits, but all the ones she found inside of her were lacking. They were pithy little statements that withered in the low light of their dungeon, comments that were as overdone and unsatisfying as meat left too long on the fire, and she hated that she could only offer that to the others. Resentment festered inside of her; now she could see why the other survivors hadn't wanted to rebuild the Lorca with her as chieftain. Now she could see why she had stayed alone in her ger while the seasons flew past like the wind on the plains. It was Mark she had drawn her courage from; it was Mark who she had clung to while she reached out and remembered what it meant to live again. And, taken in by the dreams of the grandfather she had never known, it was Mark who advised her and done everything to help her while asking for nothing in return.

It was just as well. In the end, what did she have to give?

"Do you think they'll feed us?"

Lyn turned to give Wil a strange look; she imagined they all did, as his voice was so loud in the small cell that it was impossible to ignore. "Feed us?"

"Yeah," he answered, looking blissfully unaware of how strange his question was at a time like this. "All we had for breakfast were apples. They were kinda sour...well, I don't mind sour apples, but they weren't even completely ripe, so it wasn't even that appetizing. It was okay at the time, because we all thought that once we reached the castle we'd get fed something better than rabbit at night, but with the way things are now..." He shrugged, a small smile on his face. "Well, I wouldn't even mind unripe apples and rabbit."

"You're...hungry?" asked Kent. He sounded about as bewildered as Lyn felt.

Scratching the back of his head with one hand, Wil looked sheepish. "You aren't? It's already getting darker." Lyn was surprised when she looked up at the window above his head; beyond the bars, it was already late afternoon.

"Hm, I never would've realized it until it was already night," she remarked. Disgusted by how long she had spent wallowing in her doubts, she pushed her thoughts aside and focused on the moment. "Come to think of it, I could use something to eat too."

Wil laughed, and it surprised Lyn by how easily he could do that. "I knew I wasn't the only one! But then, do we just tell them that we want food, or do we just wait for them to feed us? I've never been imprisoned before, so I'm not sure how this goes."

Lyn nodded. "Neither have I." The first person to catch her eye was Sain, so she asked him, "Sain, do you know what we should expect?"

"Milady, what are you implying?" Sain looked comically affronted, to the point where it was hard for Lyn to keep from smiling. "Why, I've always been an exemplary knight! The very pinnacle of knighthood, in fact!"

Kent, who had been covering his face with one hand, began to shake his head. "In all honesty, Lady Lyndis was right to question you. No one else among the Caelin knighthood has merited more hours watching the dungeons than yourself."

"Now, now, that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"I fear it is not. Or, are you to tell me that you cannot remember all the times you were punished for carousing around in the nearby villages?"

"Why--no, of course not! Surely I was doing my part in promoting safety and good will amongst the townsfolk?"

"If I recall correctly, there was the time when you--"

"Ah! Kent, how could you even think to betray the confidence of your good friend? Your boon companion! And you would call yourself a true knight?"

"...That seems a more likely exaggeration..."

By this time, Lyn couldn't suppress either her smile nor the laughter that bubbled up inside her. It was the same for Wil; even Florina was giggling into Lyn's shoulder. Lyn had the feeling Kent and Sain were doing this for show; Kent's face was clear of the irritation he usually showed during Sain's antics, and Sain seemed more outrageous than ever in his protestations, but she appreciated it. That they could laugh at even a time like this made Lyn feel as if everything would be all right in the end. Even as their laughter faded away, leaving little more than some embarrassed shifting at the fact that they laughed at all, Lyn felt better.

Still a little betrayed, still with doubts, but better.

"So," she said, "is everyone all right? Is there anything we should talk about, any concerns or ideas?"

"Um, I was...I was wondering," Florina began, her soft voice strangely loud inside the small cell and catching everyone's attention, "what do you think they'll do to--to Huey?"

"Huey?" asked Sain. "Is that the name of your pegasus? What a bold, masculine name!"

There was a moment of silence before Florina spoke again. "Um, actually, Huey is...is a mare."

Sain emitted a strangled sound, and Lyn could almost see his need to back away from his words flashing on his face. "I-is that so? It's such a cute, dainty name!" Beside him, Kent sighed.

"...Well, anyway, go on," Lyn encouraged Florina. "You've had your pegasus when I first met you, I remember."

"Y-yes. She's...she's really important to me. My eldest sister helped me learn to get along with her, and she was my only close friend until I met you. We've been partners for years now, and I'm...I've never been away from her for this long, not willingly..." Florina's voice grew even softer, a slight tremor giving her words an added melancholy that made Lyn's heart clench. "I'm not scared about myself because Lyn is with me," she seemed to murmur to herself, though her words were still audible, "but I'm worried about Huey. She must be frightened...will she be treated well here?"

The disquieting, oppressive silence of before had returned. Lyn could feel that it wasn't just herself who hurt for Florina, but rather that they all could feel the delicate notes of what had to be Florina's worst nightmare--the nightmare of all pegasus knights. It reminded Lyn of the string instruments of Sacaean origin, the two-stringed morin khuur, and the strange quiver of sound that was produced at the plucking of a string. That quiver, the highs and lows encompassed in a single note, was like the complexities of the heavy atmosphere that weighed on them now.

"If I may say something," Kent started, and maybe it was Lyn's ears but it seemed even the emotions of the room had invaded even his perpetually-moderate tone. "Although it is true that our treatment by Pherae has been unexpected and, quite frankly, dismaying, I do not think that they will stoop so low as to mistreat our mounts." His eyes met Lyn's for a moment, before he closed his eyes and nodded. "This is only my belief, but I do hope it will allow you to set some of your fears aside."

_He remembered_, Lyn thought, touched beyond words. Before, when there was nothing but hope for tomorrow, she had asked him to help watch over Florina for her. That he would remember such a promise, even at a time like this, brightened Lyn's mood.

_No_, she realized with a smile. _It's because it's such a trying time that he would remember._

Florina only nodded, her hair brushing against Lyn's shoulder, but from such a shy girl it was more than enough. Before Lyn could speak, the sound of keys jangling outside their door caused them to look up. They watched as one knight opened the door while another one placed a large tray in the center of their room before both Pheraeans left, locking the door behind them. The tray consisted of a pot of stew, a good-sized loaf of bread, and a small bowl of wild berries.

"That's better fare than we've had of late," said Sain. "Though they forgot separate bowls." He picked up the loaf and handed it to Lyn. "Here, Lady Lyndis."

"I wonder if this is Eliwood's way of apologizing," Lyn said as she ripped off a chunk of bread. The inside of the bread was white and not the least bit hard; it had obviously been made within the day. She handed the loaf to Florina before reaching out to dip her portion of the bread in the stew. When she bit into the bread she found that the stew was meaty and fresh, and she savored the rich flavor of it and the thickness of the bread as it awakened a hunger she didn't even realize she had. "This is good," she mumbled. Muttered agreements followed as the others shared in the food.

A short time later, they shared the last of the berries as the sky darkened to an indigo blue. As Lyn sucked drops of the bitter juice from her thumb, Kent said in a low voice, "I believe it is time to discuss how we intend to escape."

Her heart thumping uncomfortably fast, Lyn looked up and stared hard into Kent's night-stained face. "How?" she asked, her voice hushed. There could be guards just on the other side of the door, but more than that, she was stunned at the idea of being free. "From this castle?"

"I...am afraid not, milady," Kent responded. Wil, who had been sitting on the floor to partake of the meal, made a questioning sound.

"Then? It sounds like you have a plan."

"Of course he would have a plan," Sain said, laughter behind his words.

"Yes, well...while we are locked up within Castle Pherae, our chances of escape are low. There would be too many guards to evade, as well as the entire Pheraean military once they were sufficiently rallied. Therefore, the only time feasible for an escape is when we are handed over to Caelin." Kent's features, shaded by the night, were set with a solemnity that made Lyn anxious. "If you go east, into the mountains, from there it would be only a matter of time until you enter Bern."

_That's reasonable enough, only..._ "But, won't Lundgren send enough troops to make sure we can't do anything of that sort?" Lyn asked. "And, if we try to escape while still in Pherae, I assume that Marquess Pherae will be obligated to help Caelin."

There was a heartbeat's pause before Kent spoke again. "Yes. That is why I will stay behind to act as a distraction."

While Lyn could only stare in horror, stunned by his words, Sain turned to Kent. "By yourself? Ha! If you're to do this, then I will as well!"

"You..." Lyn swallowed, her throat dry. "You can't be serious."

Kent's expression did not change. "It is the only way, Lady Lyndis. You must survive, at all costs."

"Exactly," Sain agreed, his smile at odds to what he was agreeing with. "And, as the knights who brought you into this danger, it would be an honor to do all that we can to make sure you can return to the plains you called home."

_You're wrong_, she thought. _You're wrong, you're wrong, you're absolutely wrong._

She didn't want to die, to squander the life that her father had saved over half a year ago. She still had so much to do. She still had to avenge her tribe, and try harder at bringing the Lorca together again. She had to master the sword, so that she could protect the oppressed. She was only fifteen, of course she didn't want to die just yet.

_But I will not waste their lives in order to save my own. Never will I become so selfish._

"No, I will not agree to this."

There was a waxing moon outside, and with its light she could see the shadows of the wrinkles on Kent's forehead. "Milady, you must be reasonable. Your life is too important to squander now."

"I could say the same to you, Kent," she shot back. "Unless I can fight by your side while Florina and Wil escape, then I will not talk about this plan any further."

She could feel Florina shaking her head, thick hair battering Lyn's shoulder. "No, I won't leave you."

"Yeah, I'm not going to agree to that," Wil said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Kent, from what Lyn could see, was still set on his path. So, she turned to Sain. "What do you say, Sain?"

"Eh..." She could see him shake his head. "On one hand, it would be any knight's honor to sacrifice himself for his liege, especially for such a beautiful woman...yet, on the other hand, how could I be so selfish as to cause Lady Lyndis to shed even one tear for me, her humble servant?" Sain sighed in a dramatic fashion before turning again to Kent. "Might there not be another solution?"

"None. Lundgren is bound to send a caravan with enough guards to make escape nothing more than a fleeting fancy, and we will be killed once we are within Caelin's borders. And, so long as we are here, there are no means of escape." Even with the light available from the moon, Kent's face was dark with something more than simply the night's shadows. "Lady Lyndis, I beseech you to think this through."

Lyn didn't understand the full scope of knighthood's demands. Listening to his words, heavy with unsaid emotions, she thought that their demands were too much for any one man to shoulder. She wanted to convince him that it was better this way, that either the five of them were going to leave Pherae safely, or not. But, no matter the weight of the words she overturned in her mind, like holding rocks in her hands to find the right one to throw, she didn't know what to say that would make everything all right for him.

She was from a world of chieftains, where dissatisfied plainsmen routinely left to find a more suitable tribe if their former chieftain was unsuitable. She had little idea of this world of marquesses, where blind loyalty was expected because of blood right, not earned.

At least, she had no idea how she earned Kent's unwavering loyalty.

"Kent, please understand," she started, "I--no, we've lost so much getting this far. My grandfather is gone. Mark is gone. There are only the five of us left. I cannot risk losing even another person, especially not when you all mean so much to me. Even if you see this as no more than a young girl's selfishness, I refuse to leave anybody behind to save my own life. We are all equals, and if we must, we will struggle together as equals."

Despite her words, Lyn felt no pressure inside the cell. Instead, after a moment so long that Lyn feared Kent was too angry to speak, he only said, "I hear and obey, Lady Lyndis. Then, instead of worrying what will come, we should get some rest."

That, everyone could agree with.

-0-

"Please wake up."

Lyn groaned as she was shaken awake, wanting nothing more than to push away the hand on her shoulder but too lazy to do so. It was the path of least resistance to wake up, and when she did she was greeted with the sight of a dark-haired woman whose white clothes nearly glowed with the moonlight flowing into the room. "Who...?" Lyn asked; she was a morning person, but not that early in morning.

"It would be best if you remained silent," the strange woman said. Frowning, Lyn sat up, where she noticed two things; one, that Florina was awake and rubbing at her eyes, and that there was a man attempting to wake Wil, who slept on the bench. Once Wil was up, albeit groggier than everyone else, the white-clad woman turned to them and gestured for them to wait while her partner left the cell. Some time later, as Lyn's head cleared enough to be very well-aware of what was happening, the woman waved for them to follow her.

Lyn noticed the sword the woman carried and thought it best to do as they were told.

They followed the two strangers through the night-shrouded castle, always following the woman's signals as they made their way past the main hall and into a series of corridors while a few guards roamed without ever noticing them. Lyn couldn't even see the man until he opened a door ahead of them, warm light pouring over his form and revealing his dangerous-looking armor. If he was a knight, she figured, then so was this woman, and their familiarity with the castle at night marked them Pheraeans.

Her heart racing, Lyn struggled to control the rise of hope inside her.

One by one, they entered the room. Unfamiliar with Lycian design, Lyn wasn't sure as to the type of room it was, but it compared poorly to the people already there. "Eliwood?" Lyn asked, unsure of how to feel when his name had earlier brought to mind thoughts of betrayal.

"Lyndis," Eliwood greeted, his smile wide despite the late hour. Besides himself, there was someone who could only be his father behind the large table in the room. _No_, Lyn told herself, _Mother called it a desk, something unnecessary to the nomadic lifestyle._

"Marquess Pherae," Kent said with a short bow after he approached Lyn's side.

Eliwood's father nodded. "Forgive us for the late hour. It was necessary to prepare everything for this time."

"Necessary?" Lyn asked, unable to keep from frowning. She knew it was rude, but after being imprisoned and having to dissuade others from carrying out suicidal escape plans, her patience had begun to wear thin.

Eliwood's smile faded. "Lyndis, please understand. As much as we wanted to help you, your arrival has...complicated matters."

She stole a glance at Kent's face; he was as composed as ever. So, she nodded in apology. "Forgive me, it's been a trying time as of late."

"Yes, I'm sure," Eliwood's father said, warmth behind his words. "And you must forgive us for the deception. It simply would not do were Lundgren to hear of your being treated as a guest within our home. I'm sure you've heard this before, and I am sorry to repeat it again if that is so, but his claim to Caelin's throne is such that it can drastically weaken the pact between the cantons of Lycia were any of us to openly support you. As such, the only option left to you is to flee the country."

It was just as well, Lyn felt as she nodded in agreement. Lycia seemed a sad place to her.

"In which direction would you suggest, Lord Elbert? We bow to your wisdom on this matter," said Kent.

"When the convoy from Caelin arrives, I intent to tell them that you've escaped into Bern. That way, they'll cease to canvas the other cantons, allowing you some freedom of movement." The marquess nodded to Eliwood, who picked up a bag that had been resting on the table and approached Lyn. She took the bag when it was offered to her, finding it heavy with gold. "In the meanwhile, I suggest you head to Badon. Although pirates use the town as their base, there is enough gold in that bag to bribe a captain to take you as passengers. I would recommend Etruria, as they care little about Lycian matters."

_We're being exiled from Lycia_, Lyn realized. _That's fine for me, but..._ She snuck another glance at Kent. His face no longer had the peaceful cast it usually did when he was composed; rather, it seemed harder now, like a stone wall barring any path to his true feelings.

She hated his composure sometimes, but it was much better than this.

"Marcus has prepared your steeds for the journey ahead, and replaced your worn weapons. If you need anything else, please ask him before you leave. Harken, Isadora, see them to the stables." Eliwood's father smiled. "I wish we could do more. May Saint Elimine light your path."

"Ah, a thousand blessings upon you," Lyn responded, then glanced at Eliwood. "Thank you, Eliwood."

"Goodbye, Lyndis," he said in return, and she appreciated that his smile was a good one for their last meeting.

After they walked from shadow to shadow, they finally reached the door that would take them out to the stables. As they walked outside into the chilly, sea-scented night, as Florina bounded towards her pegasus with pure relief, Sain walked beside Lyn. "Lady Lyndis, wasn't I right all along? You've nothing to fear with your loyal knight Sain by your side!"

"Mm, you're right," she said with a smile, rubbing her bare forearms. There was no breeze, yet the skin puckered up as if a chill ran through her body.

She supposed she couldn't blame her body for that, as Kent's expression remained as cold as the night and as daunting as the journey before them.

-to be continued-

A few notes this time, just because:

-Everyone knows Lyn is fifteen in her story, right? Cool.

-After checking the Japanese supports, I'm not sure if Huey is a mare or not. The explicit statement in Florina/Ninian's A support in the English version is not there in the Japanese text, and the artbook doesn't have anything about that. Names aside, I don't see Florina handling the equivalent of a stallion, even if pegasi are shy around humans.

-The morin khuur described above is a real Mongolian musical instrument, often known as the horse-headed guitar. Sacaean culture seems derived from Mongolian nomadic culture, so I think it's a good fit.

03: Badon, the lawless canton. Pirates, bandits of the seas, rule the port, and it is a struggle for Lyn to stay her hand and remain calm. But there are more than pirates to worry about in such a place, and perhaps even unexpected allies in others...


	4. 03 Compression

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

03. Compression

Lyn hated the smell of Badon.

Like Pherae, Badon was located close to the sea, therefore Lyn had expected the same refreshing ocean breeze. After long days of riding, she longed for some time to herself so she could watch the waves and let the sea breeze caress her face and ruffle her hair. Instead, as they got off the horses and stood outside the port town, all she could smell was the pungent stench of rotting fish and human waste as the wind blew it directly in their faces. This only had the effect of worsening her already poor mood. She could almost feel the same irritation and weariness from the others as they stretched their sore muscles in silence. Determined to find a ship as quickly as possible, she began to walk towards the town, only stopping when she saw two large men armed with battle axes just ahead.

_They must be pirates_, she realized in disgust. _Brigands who terrorize the innocent while on the sea...I was hoping not to run into any of their kind._

Her eyes narrowed as the pirates noticed her and began to head in her direction. While she heard the footsteps of her companions behind her, she could not help but let her hand stray towards the swords she now kept strapped at her side at all times. The Mani Katti was too good to be used on mere bandits, of course, but that was why she also kept a regular iron sword with her. Not that she wanted to use it; she had more self-control than that.

However, judging by their smirks as they neared her, her growing irritation was quickly eroding what little self-control she had left.

"Hey, hey, what's with that look?" The larger of the two said as he leaned towards her. His breath, a foul gust of stale liquor, made Lyn's empty stomach lurch and worsened her mood even further. "We just want to be your friend."

She twitched at the suggestion before gathering up what composure she could find inside herself--little more than scraps at this point. "Pardon me," she managed out, coldly polite before she attempted to push past them.

"Where do you think you're going?" the other pirate said as he grabbed her left arm. In one swift move, she grasped the hilt of her sword.

Suddenly, she found herself pushed back, the red of Kent's armor in front of her face. "Please step away from her," he said, the simple command belying the dangerous tone in his voice.

Sain stepped up as well, and Lyn felt as if a wall had formed before her. "It's best to listen to him and leave. After all, we knights look poorly upon men who force themselves on young ladies."

The taller pirate cursed, not backing down. "The hell's this? Knights in Badon? Some upstart lord trying to make himself marquess here again?" There was a growing sense of danger surrounding both pirates and knights as all four men stood still, before the pirates turned around and headed back into the town.

"So, Marquess Pherae was right about this place. Quite a danger to the innocent maidens of the town with all these pirates on the loose..." Sain said with a sigh. Kent, on the other hand, said nothing at all. It unnerved Lyn; since Pherae, his demeanor had changed. She could depend on him, yet...

"Kent?" she said after a moment of silence had hung uncomfortably after Sain's comment.

"Lady Lyndis. We will go into the town and secure a ship for our journey."

"Kent." Now annoyed, Lyn felt the urge to reach for his shoulder, to force him to turn around and look at her. But when he glanced back, that urge fled in the face of his profile.

"Milady, it is apparent that unfamiliar young women should not wander the streets of this town without an escort. Also, our freedom is limited, a gift granted by Marquess Pherae. We must make sure to be inconspicuous whenever possible." He turned away. "Forgive my words, but you are anything but unnoticeable under the present circumstances."

Lyn narrowed her eyes in annoyance, but she also knew that her willingness to draw her sword at any buffoon that tried to manhandle her could cost them a ride at best. After a moment of clenching her fists, she looked away from Kent's back. "I understand. Then, Florina and I will stay here and watch the horses."

"Eh?" Wil walked up to her, surprise on his face. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Lyn answered, some warmth entering her voice. It was hard not to cheer up while talking to him. "You're suited for gathering information. I'd like for you to go, but if your head is bothering you then please rest instead."

"Oh, no, I've been feeling pretty good lately. I just..." Scratching the back of his head, Wil looked sheepish. "No, never mind. Thanks."

As the three young men walked into Badon--with Lyn catching Sain as he gave Kent an odd look in the process--Florina approached Lyn. "I don't like this place," Florina said with far more frankness than she had ever shown around the others, and Lyn had to laugh at that.

"Neither do I. It's sickening to see bandits of any kind act so brazenly...but all we can do now is leave as quickly as we can."

"Yes, that's true." Smiling, Florina touched Lyn's arm. "Why don't you take a walk, Lyn? I'll be fine with the horses and Huey, but you look like...well..."

"That bad?" Lyn suggested, half-jokingly. "If it's all right with you, I'd like that. But if someone tries to do anything to you, call for me, okay?"

After a moment's hesitation, Florina nodded. "U-um, yes. But Lyn, you know, I am--"

"I know. You're training to be a great pegasus knight, like your sisters." Patting Florina on the head, Lyn smiled as Florina blushed. "But you're my best friend, so let me watch over you, okay?"

"O-okay."

With a smile Lyn left Florina and the grazing steeds, opting to try and get away from the town's stench. The land around Badon was grassy, but as she followed the town walls she could see that the town was actually situated on a rocky cliff, on which the port extended out into the sea. But the cliff wasn't all that tall, and Lyn found that if she jumped down using a few well-placed rocks, she would land on a strange, sandy surface. Here, blue-green waves rolled onto the sand before descending back into the ocean, only to repeat the process again. It looked peaceful to watch, with water lapping at Mother Earth in repetitive strokes, Father Sky bright with only a few clouds here and there, and soon she found herself sitting at the bottom of the cliff and simply existing with nature.

_Perhaps this is a lesson from our Mother the Earth and Father the Sky_, she believed as she closed her eyes. _The water swells and departs, though it doesn't seem as if the wind is doing it...hm. Maybe all the wind can do is excite the waters when they are both flowing in the same direction, just like the wind and a person...a person wielding the sword...I think I'm starting to understand. It's the same with the plains, but the lesson is easier to grasp here--_

"It must be nice to relax during the day."

Lyn's eyes snapped open and she flung herself up and away from the small cliff, right hand reaching for her swords. A strange man was standing at the top of the cliff. "Who are you?" she demanded, her peaceful mood destroyed by the winds of agitation swirling inside her.

The strange man jumped down to her level and held up his hands in front of him. There was something about him that reminded her of Matthew, although that man had been cheerful and strange; this one just seemed creepy with his half-lidded eyes and one-sided tilt of a smile. His clothes were plain, although his large, dark green cloak was a little too reminiscent of Matthew's red cloak. By his stance she thought that he was probably poor at handling even a dagger, though that did not help her relax.

"I'm just a simple man who likes to look at the ocean," he said, lowering his head just enough that his dark green hair hid his eyes. This did nothing to ease Lyn's suspicions.

"You're a thief, aren't you?"

The man paused, looking at her again. "Well, well, it's not good to be so judgmental. I'll have you know that I also do honest work, like selling information. I'll even give you a special rate."

"Hmm." Lowering her hand, Lyn gave him a hard stare. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, Miss Longest-Legs-in-Lycia, I have to admit that..." he trailed off as she reached for her swords again. "That's no good, huh? Let's see...I bet you're the type who goes around in her spare time and slices up evil while saving the innocent. The noble sort. I'll call you the Lady of Blades, then. Though, you're young. I know kids your age are idealistic, but maybe you should ease up a little. You can't cure all the evil in the world."

Now Lyn relaxed. She no longer thought he was creepy, just weird. "Is that the kind of information you sell?"

He shook his head. "I know all the latest news in Lycia. For you my rate's a coin a tidbit, unless you already know it, then I'll give you another piece for free. Sometimes the information is good, sometimes it's just a rumor in disguise as the truth. How about it?"

"That's acceptable." While she had given most of the money to Kent for payment on a ship, she kept some for buying any needed rations or curatives. Maybe she was thinking a little too optimistically, but she hoped that they wouldn't need to replace their new weapons anytime soon. Reaching for the small pouch on her belt, she tossed the strange man a coin. "What is the latest news?"

After examining the gold coin, he smiled at her as he tucked it away under his cloak. "Do you know about the so-called Caelin impostor? She was captured in Pherae about a week ago, but she escaped that same night. Headed to Bern, so I hear."

_Information travels too fast for my liking_, Lyn thought as she tried to keep her expression disinterested. "I already know that."

Surprise flickered across the thief's face. "Is that so? All right, I'll up that. Marquess Caelin not only sent a caravan to pick up the impostor and her allies, but he also went as well."

_Lundgren went to Pherae...?_ "Why is that?" she asked. She had to ask; the heavy feeling inside her demanded it.

"Seems to me that Marquess Pherae wanted to congratulate him while giving his condolences. You know, Marquess Caelin inherited his title from his older brother. That was where the whole problem stemmed from, since the impostor was said to be the dead marquess' granddaughter." There was a strange look on the man's face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Marquess Pherae..._invited_ that man?" she struggled out, confusion warring with that vague sense of betrayal all over again. "I don't..."

_I don't believe you_, she wanted to say, but she knew so little about Lycia, about the allies who weren't struggling alongside her, that she felt she couldn't complete the statement.

"You don't understand?" asked the thief. He shrugged. "Well, neither do I, not really. There are so many reasons why people do this or that, and it's even worse for those who claim to be nobility. Really, you're better off holding on to what you think is the truth, milady. That's how we commoners survive. Nothing's going to change for us, so we never act overtly. Anybody who openly supported the impostor is probably past regretting it now."

Lyn looked down, disturbing the sand with the tip of one boot. "That disgusting man," she spat.

"Yeah. The worst possible scenario happened, so everyone suffers except for the one causing all the pain. It's the opposite of how a fairytale's supposed to end." When Lyn looked up, she was surprised by the sympathy the thief displayed as he looked at her. "It's not just Caelin. Marquess Araphen's castle guard captain up and quit on him, and since the captain was Sacaean and the impostor's half-Sacaean, there's some anti-Sacaean sentiment being stirred up by idiots. Since the 'tragedy' has been averted, now people can make scapegoats to their hearts' content."

_That's...I can't believe it. I don't want to--I never even thought about it. How could I? I only wanted to see my grandfather, but now it seems as if my coming here only made things worse. So much worse._

"Here."

Dumbly, she looked down to see that the thief had walked up to her and was pressing the coin she gave him into the palm of her hand. "It's your payment," she stated.

"No, it's fine--"

"Please." From her money pouch she took out more coins, enough to form a small pile in his hand. "You've told me a lot, and I appreciate it." She tried to smile, but since it didn't feel right, not with all the feelings colliding inside her, she started to walk towards the cliff.

"Wait," he said. Lyn stopped, but didn't turn around. "I have family in Caelin. No matter what we think about nobility, I think they would've liked you."

Lyn nodded once, then began to climb the cliff.

-0-

"This is amazing!"

Beside Lyn, Sain seemed to share in her excitement, spreading his arms wide. "Isn't it, milady? It's said to be the fastest ship in all of Badon! The captain promised us that we'd see Etruria by the middle of summer at the latest. Imagine that, a mere two or three months' journey on the open seas, and then the first thing we'll see when we leave the ship will be the fair ladies of Etruria..."

Lyn laughed. "Well, that's not for some time. Anyway, good job. This is perfect."

"Of course! We knights of Caelin perform every duty with pleasure!"

Wil, who had been walking by, turned around and gave Sain a strange look. "Was hitting on the barmaid a duty, then?"

Curious (as well as somewhat amused), Lyn watched as Sain frowned, his attention now focused on the archer. "Wil, how can you say that? It was because of my dedication in finding the information we needed that we're now on this ship!"

"No, it was because the barmaid's boyfriend and all his friends chased us out of that tavern that we ended up running into the captain of this ship," said Wil, one finger in the air as if he were giving a lecture. He winked at her when he noticed that she was watching them. "Lyndis, you should've seen him. He's almost as bad as the pirates."

"How can you say that?" While pointing a finger at Wil, Sain turned to face Lyn. "Lady Lyndis, please disregard what he says. After all, he spent the entire time moping around like a man who'd just lost his first love."

Concerned now, Lyn glanced at Wil. "Is that true, Wil?"

"Huh?" Wil blinked. "No, why? I've never even...wait, that's not what you meant, right?" He looked away. "I was just remembering something that happened there a long time ago, but it's nothing." When he looked back at her, he seemed unlike himself and more like the days after he'd been downed by a blow to the head, weary and unfocused. "But anyway, I'm not as bad as Kent. I don't know him too well, but he seems like he's in a bad mood all the time now."

To Lyn's surprise, Sain nodded; he looked discouraged. "That's true. There are many things I could say about him, but he's even more of a professional than I am. There isn't a knight who loves fulfilling his duty more than Kent...although one could say we're only knights at heart now."

_I wonder..._ Worried as she was, Lyn still felt she had to say something, if only to set him at ease. "That's not true, Sain. I may not be familiar with knighthood, but from what I've seen of you and Kent, you've no reason to feel shame. Haven't you tried to follow through with your duties to the best of your ability? I'd say that's more than enough to be proud of."

"Yes, that's absolutely right!" Sain placed his hand over his heart. "Though I felt the shadows of doubt fall upon me just now, your beautiful words of praise have banished the darkness!"

"...That's great, Sain," Lyn said, smiling. "I'll talk to Kent and see what's wrong. At a time like this, we have to be open with each other. Our lives depend on each other."

But once she left Sain and Wil, Lyn didn't feel as brave as her words. Though a couple days had passed since the three men had first found the ship, she had kept finding excuses to leave him be even though they had few preparations to make. Even though she liked Kent and valued his help, she had to admit that the idea of approaching Kent on a personal level made her nervous. After all, he was perfectly professional. It seemed to her that there was a barrier between them that he had placed there from the very beginning, and he wasn't going to appreciate her trying to breach it. Or maybe there was something else? She remembered Sain's words--

_Although one could say we're only knights at heart now._

--and she wondered if Kent regretted following her.

The boat rocked underneath her as she stopped walked. A shadow momentarily fell upon her, and she looked up to see Florina flying above the ship for training--though Lyn thought it was because the ship's crew happened to be all men. Before her was Kent, who seemed to be watching the ocean. With his back to her, Lyn thought he was like stone, though she didn't understand why.

Taking a deep breath to clear her mind, she walked forward until she was standing beside him. She rested her arms on the ship's railing and smiled at him as he glanced at her in what she thought was mild surprise. "Lady Lyndis? Is there something I can do for you?"

"No," she said, her smile faltering only slightly as she observed him. "But I was wondering if I might not be able to do something for you."

"Milady?" Now he seemed tired, maybe a little anxious. She really couldn't tell; the barrier was up now.

"Kent, lately I've been worried about you." As soon as she said that, she knew that she had used the wrong words. His perfect composure was one thing, but now he only seemed hard, unapproachable.

"I understand. Please forgive me, I had no intention of adding to your present worries. I will endeavor in the future to be less of a burden to you, milady."

This exercise in futility reminded her of something her father had told her once, a story about a man who split asunder a large boulder with an axe. She had been a child at the time, and the first thing she had done was to grab a sword and hack away at a rock until she had ended up breaking the blade. The comparison made her decide to give up for now. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she couldn't help but frown as a flicker of emotion crossed his face. She almost wanted to inquire, but she knew that it would come to nothing. "Kent, I don't know what it means to be a liege as Lycians define the word, but if something is bothering you, I'm here if you want to talk. And..." She let her hand drop from his shoulder as she looked up at his face.

"If at any time you wish to leave, you may do so. You've helped me so much, but I'm afraid I'm just being selfish at this point."

_I only wanted to see my grandfather. Because I wasn't able to do so, I didn't just fail myself._

She turned to leave. He didn't stop her.

_I failed everyone._

-0-

"Lyndis! Please wake up!"

Lyn floundered a bit before she grabbed one of the swords she had kept beside her as she slept. Reflexively, she sat up before opening her eyes. "Wil?" she asked as she blinked; she couldn't see him, but that had been his voice, right?

"Lyndis, there's a problem above deck! There's--we're being chased by pirates!"

She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her free hand, as if that would clear her vision and therefore her mind. "Wait, what? Pirates at night?" A memory flashed through her mind, one of blood and death and _Papa, Mama, I don't want to leave you!_

"So, the captain said that we need to stay below deck and...Lyndis?"

"I'm fine," she said, her voice rough with emotion. She pushed it down, along with the urge to be sick, and sat against the wall of the hold she and Florina were given to use as their room. "I'm fine. Isn't there anything we can do to help?"

"He said no. He plans on getting the ship onto a beach, and then we can all run to safety from there," Wil answered. "It'd be really hard for us to fight since they haven't boarded us yet, and if we do go ashore it'll be safer for us to be below deck."

_I would rather fight._ The thought was like a brand searing its message inside her mind, and Lyn wasn't sure if she really wanted to remove it. _But there are too many lives at stake. It's best to run._

Her memories told her otherwise.

"I see," she said, standing up. With the darkness of the room and its small size, she felt caged in and anxious. "What are Kent and Sain doing?"

"They're preparing their horses so we can leave quickly."

"That's good. Can you go over there, too? Florina and I will meet you there."

"Sure."

She could hear the sound of his footsteps as he left the little hold, and she closed her eyes. _Relax, relax. Everything's going to be fine_, she told herself as she sat down on Florina's bed and began shaking her friend awake. "Florina? Wake up, Florina."

"Mm--Lyn? What...it's still dark," Florina mumbled, sounding slightly annoyed. Lyn had to laugh at that; unlike herself, Florina often had trouble waking.

"I know it's still dark, but there's a problem and I need you awake." Lyn shook Florina's shoulder a bit harder. "Your pegasus needs you."

"Huey?" At this, Florina sat up. "Why? What's wrong?"

After urging her friend up, Lyn picked up her other sword and tied the two to her belt as she left the room, the sound of Florina's soft steps close behind. "We're being chased by pirates. The captain wants us to stay below deck because he intends to go ashore, but I want us to be prepared for ba--no, to escape."

Florina seemed to take this well enough, because she didn't say anything as they navigated the narrow corridors. It was too dark to see anything, adding to the feeling of being closed in with no escape. Lyn preferred open areas, and she had the feeling that Florina did too, but they remained quiet until they reached the door to the hold where the horses and pegasus were being kept.

"We're really not going to fight?" Florina's voice was small, but Lyn's hearing was sharper with the loss of sight.

Opening the door, Lyn forced herself to sound normal and reassuring. "...No, unless we have to."

"Oh." Florina sounded surprised. "I think that's good."

_Really?_ Lyn wanted to ask. She clenched her fists at her sides and walked into the large hold. With the help of the lantern on the floor, she could see shadows splayed against the floor and walls as Kent and Sain prepared their horses. Sitting nearest to the lantern was Wil, who was restringing his bow. "Hello," she called out as she approached the lantern.

"Lady Lyndis!" Sain replied, jovial despite the situation. "Ah, Florina! Shall I help you with Huey?"

"N-no, i-it's fine..."

"Sain, please," Kent said with no real inflection. Lyn thought he seemed sad, somehow.

_Maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all. I feel uncomfortable seeing him now..._ Looking into the cheery light of the lantern, she sighed. _Or perhaps it was good to say something, but I said the wrong thing._

Soon, everyone was sitting around the lantern, while the steeds laid on their stomachs so as to reduce the risk of their falling over and injuring themselves or others should the ship go ashore. It reminded her of the days before Caelin, when they were a much larger group around the campfire. She could hear Serra and Erk bickering, Wil chattering with anyone who would be interested--usually Matthew, though one time it surprised her to find Rath patiently listening to a tale about trick archery--or herself as she talked to Kent, or Florina, or Dorcas, or anyone else. She had enjoyed those nights, even though their days had been filled with battles and harsh traveling, because she could remember what it was like to be among her tribe and talk and laugh and feel human.

But as the ship creaked with each rolling sway, Lyn found this moment to be a poor substitute for those fun times under the night sky.

No one talked. It was as if they were holding their breaths while waiting. All they could do was wait, just like in Pherae's dungeon cell. But unlike that cell, there was only the light of the lantern; there wasn't even the glimmer of the night sky to reassure her that there was something beyond the wooden walls of the hold. So she concentrated on the lantern, focused on the light and tried to imagine the moon and the stars, the cold wind, the smell of burning wood as best as she could.

Then, Kent reached for the lantern and her illusions fell apart all around her.

"It would be best to turn out the light. If the ship goes ashore, we cannot risk the lantern toppling over and starting a fire," he said, reasonable as always. She wanted to protest, wanted to grab the lantern away from him, but she wouldn't. She wouldn't. She was stronger than that.

He was watching her when she lifted her eyes from the lantern to his face. Kent was watching her expression, and he seemed almost frozen by it. She wasn't sure what to do, embarrassed as she was that he could see her fear. "Kent?" she whispered, hating the quaver in her voice.

She hated him for not looking away as he said, "Perhaps we could keep it as it is. It may be a negligible risk..."

"I don't know, but I don't think we should take even the smallest risk. I mean, our luck hasn't been that great and none of us are scared of the dark," Wil said. Beside him, Lyn grew flustered.

_I'm not scared of the dark. Only...it makes this place feel smaller..._

"Right," she said, trying to rein in her fears. "We can't risk it. Kent, please put it out."

_I'm strong. I can handle this. I'm strong. I can handle this._

He kept his eyes on her, and in response she hardened her features. Opening the top of the lantern, he blew out the flame. Instantly, there was only darkness. Lyn couldn't see anyone, only hear their breaths, and she hoped that hers sounded as normal as theirs. There was only darkness, pressing all around her, enveloping her like a cocoon. It reminded her of that night, just before the bandits attacked. The dead silence and unnatural pressure before the slaughter...

She clenched her knees with her hands, her short fingernails digging through the thick material of her dress and marking her skin.

They were coming and there was no way to fight...she couldn't fight...they wanted her to run...

_I'm strong, I'm strong, I'm..._

-to be continued-

Lyn seems to have a strong preference for open, wide areas, most likely stemming from her homeland. At worst she's probably only slightly claustrophobic, but with the prospect of pirates coming and complete darkness inside an enclosed area I'd think that stress would exacerbate it. Even though she has a lot of willpower, since she has fairly recent traumatic memories about a similar situation it would quickly push her to her limits.

There are references to Wil's past in Badon, more explicitly explained in the Wil/Rebecca and Wil/Dart A supports.


	5. 04 Keep Running

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

04. Keep Running

_I'm strong, I'm strong, I'm...!_

At that instant, it was as if the world was grabbed and viciously shaken before being thrown down, much like how a child with a temper tantrum would treat a toy. All Lyn knew was that it was still dark when she opened her eyes, it felt as if Florina had landed on her, and that her head hurt a lot. The horses were whinnying in agitation--one in a high-pitched, almost musical fashion--which didn't help her burgeoning headache in the least.

"Lady Lyndis?"

Kent's voice sounded uncomfortably close, and Lyn realized that she had most likely been flung against him, hitting her head against his chest plate at the same time. "My apologies," she acknowledged, sitting up and shaking Florina. "Florina, are you hurt?" she asked, receiving a soft moan in response.

"No...I'm fine," Florina murmured. Smiling a little, Lyn helped her stand.

"Good, good. Go see to your pegasus, all right?" She turned her head and stared in the general direction of the others. "Can someone get the lantern? Let's get the horses calmed down before we go."

_I've got to keep it up. As long as I can focus on this, I won't have to remember...the spirits released that night cannot influence me._

Even though she told herself that and believed it, she was still relieved when Wil lit the lantern and its light made the hold seem more open than before.

Just as the horses were calmed, a loud banging noise sounded from inside the ship, as if someone was running in the halls--towards their room! As she was closest to the door, Lyn reached for the hilt of one of her swords, ready to end the intruder's life if it was a pirate. The door swung open. "Hey, hey, you're still in here?" one of the sailors of the ship yelled. Lyn had to consciously tell herself to relax, straightening from the hunched-over stance that was a staple of the Sacaean sword arts.

"What is it?"

"We got lucky. The pirates chasing us went afoul of the pirate bases close to the beach. Cap'n'll fill you in on the rest," the sailor snapped back before disappearing into the darkness beyond their hold. Lyn glanced back at the others.

"Let's go."

They hurried through the narrow halls the best they could, though Lyn wondered how they were able to bring the steeds into the hold when they first set off. Sacaean horses would've hated it; she couldn't imagine that Florina's pegasus would've even tried, not with her wings. Not that she disagreed with them, not when the halls seemed to be closing around her with only the light of the lantern in her peripheral vision to convince her otherwise. But she didn't take the lamp from Wil because she wanted her hands free, and even as her feet pounded along the wooden floor she kept her right arm crossed over her stomach, just in case.

Jumping the last few steps from the stairs inside the ship and landing on the tilted deck felt like entering paradise, no matter how much her skin puckered from the freezing ocean winds.

There was a sailor standing by the entrance to the hold. "Here, miss, we've put down the ramp. The pirates are still fighting, those damned savages--uh, pardon my language!" In the waning moonlight, Lyn watched him hold up his hands in a way she didn't understand. "I always forget how to speak around women once I'm at sea."

"It's fine," Lyn said in a distracted way as she watched the entrance to the hold. Wil exited, and she peered down into the darkness. "Do you need help?" she called.

"No, milady!" Sain's voice floated up. She could still hear his voice, but it was much quieter. Figuring that he was coaxing his horse to climb the steps, she turned and noticed the strange look on Wil's profile. She looked in the same direction he was and saw the pirate ships clogging up the area before them; they seemed to be fighting each other, just as the sailor had announced. They weren't that far away, all those ominous dark shapes in the water, and it made Lyn anxious. She wanted to tell the others to hurry up, but the knowledge that they were doing the best they could stilled her tongue.

Everyone was doing the best they could. From the beginning this was true, and in the end...

She shook her head, willing the dark thoughts away. Wasn't she a fighter? She didn't have time to indulge her doubts, her fears.

_Right. Time enough for that later._

It wasn't long before everyone had evacuated the ship and was on the beach. The wind had picked up by then and Lyn was rethinking her fondness of the sea breeze; the winds of Sacae had a certain aridness that sometimes made it difficult to breathe, but the winds near the ocean were a lancing frost without the blessing of the sun. She had to resist the urge to jump up and down in an attempt to keep warm, though she couldn't help but let her teeth chatter with every sweep of the wind.

The captain of the ship, a middle-aged man who looked more like someone's kindly, inoffensive grandfather instead of a veteran, hard-bitten sailor, was staring at his beached ship, an unreadable expression on his face. "That's the second one this year," he muttered. The sailors looked as despondent as their captain sounded.

"The second one?" Lyn couldn't help but ask.

The captain sighed. "The Missur West Company's second lost ship in Lycian waters. Those damned Lausian pirates sit at the mouth of the river and gang up on merchant ships unless they pay a 'crossing fee'...pah." He cursed as he patted himself down, finally pulling out a pipe and what proved to be some strong-smelling stuff. Lyn found she preferred what the men of her tribe had smoked, though the fragrant tang of nostalgia that accompanied the captain's pipe was not unpleasant.

"Lausian?" Lyn frowned. "Of...Lausia?"

"Laus, milady," Kent corrected. He sounded sharper, more like himself than he had in days. "It is a territory further up this river."

"Is that so? Why doesn't Marquess Laus do anything about the pirates, then?" Lyn asked, turning to face him.

One of the sailors coughed. "I heard he takes a cut of the money."

"Despicable," Lyn muttered. "Is there not an honest marquess in all of Lycia?"

"Marquess Pherae seemed pretty nice," Wil commented. Lyn said nothing, the sense of betrayal she felt towards Eliwood's father rising inside of her like bile.

"What will you do now?" Sain asked. Somehow, even at such a late hour, he sounded lively.

"We'll wait until morning, then push the old girl back into the water and make for Missur. The winner of that battle out there'll clean out the ship, but they never go as far as to destroy it." That the captain could recite the pirates' procedure in such a matter-of-fact tone angered Lyn; how could such injustices be considered commonplace?

"If that's so, then we'll help you," she offered. "We can find another ship to Etruria once we reach Missur."

"Begging your pardon, but we'll be hard-pressed to take care of ourselves, not to talk of extra people," said the captain. "Besides, from here you'll be able to go to Etruria through Ostia. It shouldn't take too long."

She wanted to argue, because it was Sacaean custom to always help others, yet something inside of her hesitated. In the wind there was, along with the waves of cold, a sense of fatigue that she couldn't deny. It was coming from everyone, but she could feel it most strongly inside herself.

All she wanted was to leave Lycia. If going by land was the quickest way, then that was fine with her.

"As you like," she responded. She smiled, though she knew it would be lost in the darkness. "Thank you for everything."

"It wasn't all that much," he protested, and she shook her head in response.

"That you would try is enough. May the wind be at your back." Turning, she nodded to her companions. "We'll go further inland before we rest for the night. It's too dark to go far, so let's walk instead of tiring the horses."

As her feet reached solid dirt instead of sinking into sand, she felt the presence of someone just behind her. She had calmed down from the ordeal inside the ship, but there was still a little anxiety knotting inside her as she glanced back. It did not fade when she saw, by the moon's poor light, that it was Kent. "Lady Lyndis, how are you feeling?"

Pursing her lips, she hoped he had poor night vision and was unable to see her...whatever she felt. It was a jumble of emotions, knotting into clumps that were ill-defined as being merely anxiety or irritation or shame, and she did not want him to see any of it. He had already seen too much as it was. "Fine, Kent. And yourself? You seemed to be going through a hard time. I'm always here if you want to talk."

"Lady Lyndis, you are much too generous," he replied. "Forgive me for worrying you. I realize that you have many burdens of your own."

She said nothing at first, the shame of having her fears seen by someone, anyone, almost crippling in its weight. "Well, don't worry about it," she finally responded, glancing at the waning moon. Its light was faint, too faint to see his expression. "The only thing we should be focusing on right now is getting out of this country without any more injuries."

"I understand." She watched him glance forward, where their companions were quite a ways ahead, before he turned to face her again. "Forgive me, I did not intend to keep you when we still need to find a place to rest. If you are tired, then please ride my horse the rest of the way."

"It's fine," she said, her tone brusque, "I can walk." It was a little harsh to her own ears, but he merely nodded and began walking, leading his horse by the reins. Taking a deep breath, she followed, somewhat disturbed by their short conversation.

_He saw me at my weakest inside that ship. No doubt that has changed how he sees me. He must think I'm weak...that's no good. So long as I am haunted by the spirits of the past, I'll never be strong. Even now, I can hear their screams...they cry out to be avenged. None of the other survivors could hear it, but I could._

It was Sacaean custom to repay debts both good and bad, she knew this. In the aftermath of the destruction of the Lorca, she had felt she was the only one who knew this. Maybe that was why the spirits of the dead held so closely to her.

_I understand them. Our feelings are the same. The only way they can rest is if the Talliver no longer tread upon Mother Earth._

_Once I crush the Talliver, we will all know peace._

-0-

For the next few days they traveled northward in a manner much like the small grass snakes that littered the plains of her homeland: slinking under what cover was available, darting forward in bursts of speed whenever they were exposed lest someone interested found them. They were blessed by the beautiful saint to travel along the river, Sain would often comment, because it was more lush with spring's bounties and thus more easy for them to stay hidden, but Wil would remark in turn on the fact that hunters would therefore spend more time hunting along the game-crowded river. He was right, too, but Kent, who seemed more...well, Lyn wouldn't call it cheerful, but he was downright pleasant compared to before, wanted to reach the northern mountains that separated Lycia from Sacae before heading westward towards Ostia. To the Caelin knights, the Lycia beyond the river that cut cleanly through the country was one they were only casually familiar with, and so they followed all the natural landmarks they could. And Wil, who had traveled extensively through Lycia, admitted that he couldn't remember very much about western Lycia either.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but it all kind of jumbles together," he said, a bit of embarrassed laughter following his statement. "See, I was only twelve at the time, and--"

"Oh?" Sain interrupted. Lyn could see the smile on his face from where she sat, her regular position behind Kent on his horse, and she turned around and shared a grin with Florina, who was not allowed to fly until they started heading west. "I'm impressed! That is the spirit of a true knight-errant--age means nothing to a valiant soul once the world cries out for a hero!"

Wil laughed, though Lyn thought he looked even more embarrassed. "Um, I'm the furthest thing from a hero."

Facing straight ahead, Kent coughed. "Be that as it may, it is a young age to travel by oneself."

The happy expression on Wil's face wilted like an unwatered plant, leaving behind a pensive look that made Lyn frown to see it. But before she could ask what was wrong, Sain turned to face Kent. "Eh? Are you sure you're allowed to say that?" he asked with a smile. "Weren't you younger than him when you were sent to the castle? Though, family decisions and a burning desire to enter the world at large are two completely different things..."

"I do what I am expected to do," Kent said, his tone mild. "That is what it means to be a knight in service to a lord."

"Mm...that's the kind of answer I would expect from you--perfectly pragmatic and with absolutely no heart." Considering Kent's response was a mere sigh, Lyn thought this was a common topic among the two knights. Still smiling, Sain turned, his eyes flashing with his usual boyish mischievousness. "But maybe fair Florina feels differently, hmm?"

"I...well...maybe..." Her head lowered so that her hair hid her face, Florina became silent for a few moments before raising her head, though she wasn't facing any of them by that time. "I think...I'm only a trainee, but...everyone has their own way of being a knight...I guess?"

"I don't know much about knighthood, but that's a good answer," Wil commented. Lyn nodded.

"That's the way of the pegasus knights, right? I remember you telling me about that years ago."

"...Yeah." Florina blushed as her eyes met Lyn's. "I'm happy you remembered...thanks."

Lyn rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "Of course I remembered. We're friends, after all!"

"Of _course_ it's a good answer," Sain interjected, looking a little put out, "but I want to hear more! I want to know everything about our sweet little flower--"

"Sain!"

_If only everyone was here to enjoy this_... Lyn thought, but she still laughed all the same.

-0-

The scent of rain, heavy and musty, was the first thing Lyn was aware of a couple mornings later, and her eyes confirmed it; the sky was a miasma of bloated dark clouds that hung above them like an ill omen. Everyone moved to clear the campsite, though there was a weariness in their movements that she could sympathize with, but she put on a stern face and urged them to move faster.

"We're heading west today. I know we're all tired, but we've finally hit the point where we can go straight without anything stopping us." Standing up, she brushed off her hands after hiding the remains of the campfire--there may not have been anyone chasing them on this side of the river, but she certainly wasn't going to make it easy for any would-be bounty hunters. "And a little rain won't hurt us."

Wil pointed up at the sky, his expression sheepish. "A little?"

"A little," Lyn repeated firmly. "So, let's hurry up."

"What an omen, though," Sain said, more subdued that she would have ever expected from him. "This, on the day we cross through Laus proper...perhaps we should reconsider? At this point, couldn't we just cross the river and make for the border into Bern at Araphen?"

"It cannot be helped. After our exchange with Marquess Araphen and our subsequent failure to reach Caelin in time, we can be sure that he would not hesitate to capture and use us as leverage to gain favor with Lundgren," Kent said, his tone matter-of-fact.

Mounting her pegasus, Florina looked ill at ease as she adjusted her reins. Close as she was, Lyn could see the long, vicious scar on her friend's arm; while there was no more danger of infection and therefore left uncovered, it was a harsh reminder of the perils they had gone through to get this far. "Florina," Lyn spoke up, "take point."

"But, the rain..."

"For as long as you can." Lyn gestured at the open land before them, fields of untouched spring grass. It was nothing like the plains of Sacae, but there was a little throb of nostalgia inside her all the same. "There's no shelter for us. From now on, we'll be taking speed over stealth, so we need eyes in the air."

Florina seemed to hesitate. "O-okay," she said after a moment, then smiled in a flash of nervous energy. "I...I kind of missed flying."

"Good girl," Lyn said, waving as her friend took to the air before turning to the others. "And now for us." It was a statement, not an order, but there was a distinct lack of sluggishness as they mounted the horses and began to ride west. Despite the heavy scent of rain in the air, the first drops took a while to fall. It was a blessing from Father Sky that they were able to ride for as long as they did before fat droplets began to splatter on the ground, then fall increasingly harder until it felt like she couldn't breathe without inhaling water. It was the kind of rain that would flood the lower regions of Sacae and cause the tribes to form their great migrations to the mountains.

That the rain could feel so familiar, when everything else was so foreign and strange, hurt. And, like every other time she had hurt, she could only grit her teeth, lower her head and square her shoulders in stubborn defiance, and push herself past the moment, past everything. If she were more gentle to herself, more willing to accept the pain--no. It was fine to soothe others, but she couldn't allow herself the same comfort.

Six months alone on the wide, empty plains had taught her not to depend on it. There, the only thing that had mattered was strength.

That much hadn't changed, no matter where she went.

They bore ahead, nothing but the sounds of hooves churning through the mud and the falling rain to fill the silence between them. Lyn knew they wouldn't be able to keep this pace forever; Lycian horses, while impressively tall compared to Sacaean breeds like Rath's horse, seemed weaker against the elements. Maybe Florina's pegasus would fare best, considering what she'd heard of Ilia's conditions, but could Florina herself prove to be as resilient?

_I wish that I didn't have to ask so much of her, or the others. They don't deserve this._

Lyn glanced upward. Blinded as she was, all she could see before she blinked and rubbed at her eyes was the sight of Florina returning to them. _Good_, she thought, _she must've found a place where we can rest. I don't think anyone else would be out here in this storm._ "Florina's coming back," Lyn announced. The rain seemed less bothersome after they stopped, though she felt so drenched that she figured she couldn't get anymore soaked than she was.

"This rain's not going to let up anytime soon," Sain said, his tone unusually somber. Then, as though he had a glimpse of a pretty girl, his face suddenly lit up with one of his familiar smiles. "Just like being back in Caelin, right, Kent?"

Though Lyn couldn't see his face, she just had a feeling Kent was in no mood for idle talk, so she wasn't surprised by the irritation in his voice as he said, "It is nothing like Caelin."

An awkward silence descended upon the group at that declaration. She knew she had bigger problems at the moment, but Lyn couldn't help but feel guilty about not being good enough, strong enough, to make it to her grandfather's side in time.

"Um, that--that looks like a problem," Wil suddenly said. She had never heard him stumble over a word, and that really bothered her. He was staring at the sky, in the same direction Florina was coming from--

"That...that can't be what I think it is," Sain said, the bravado leaking out of his words and leaving them with a hollow falseness. "That's a trick of the rain, or--"

"A wyvern." Despite the fact that he had murmured it, Lyn could hear Kent's voice clearly through the rain. "But what would Bern be doing here?"

Without a word, Lyn dismounted from Kent's horse. A deep, fierce protectiveness rose within her as Florina and the strange wyvern rider closed the distance between them. She didn't need to see her best friend's face to know that Florina was frightened; the pegasus' flight was erratic in a way Lyn hadn't seen since she had first met Florina all those years ago. "The wyvern rider is chasing her," she stated, fingers already grasping for a sword hilt.

"Something about this seems strange. Why would one of Bern's wyvern knights come from Lycia's interior?" she heard Kent say as Wil jumped down from Sain's horse.

"Maybe he's not from Bern?" Notching an arrow, Wil stared at the incoming flyers before dropping the arrow back in his quiver and wiping at his eyes with the back of one hand. "I can't do anything in this rain," he muttered before notching another arrow.

Sain hefted his lance, a frown on his face. "What does it matter where this villain comes from when he seeks to do harm to our Florina?"

"I agree." Lyn stepped forward, her sword out as she tested her leverage on the slick earth. Her boots had little traction, but she wasn't going to let that stop her, not when Florina was in danger.

She was not going to watch another friend die. Not again.

Florina landed several yards ahead of them, mud flying everywhere from Huey's skidding hooves as rider and pegasus fought to maintain balance. Lyn herself realized how treacherous the wet ground was as she began to run towards her friend; her feet arched awkwardly up and back when she tried to break into a run, and only when she stomped on the ground with both feet was she able to save herself from falling face-first into the mud. The only way she could reach Florina was by using small, cautious steps.

But before Lyn could move, the wyvern had landed, great wings arching towards the cloud-choked sky as its shrieking screech split through the sound of the falling rain.

The wyvern rider jumped off the great beast and extended a hand towards Florina, who sat completely still in the saddle. He seemed to be saying something to her, as far as Lyn could tell, but the rain was swallowing his words just as easily as the earth. It didn't matter to Lyn; as soon as she reached Florina she had her sword out and was brandishing it in his direction. "Stay back!" she yelled. "Can't you see she's frightened of you?"

"I...I didn't mean to frighten her," the wyvern rider replied, his hands spread in what Lyn guessed was a show of peace. Green hair, with a shock of white, was plastered to the sides of his face, and Lyn had to admit to herself that the color of most of his hair and the narrowness of his eyes made her want to trust him--he looked almost Sacaean. Yet there was something more to him, a leanness to his face, his small jerky movements interrupting any pretensions of grace, little quirks almost as familiar as blood. "I nearly collided with her in the air and I wanted to apologize and lead her to shelter so she could wait out the storm. A young lady shouldn't be out in this weather, even if she is a pegasus knight."

Lyn turned to Florina. "Is that right?"

For a moment, Florina was quiet. "Y-yes...I was...it surprised me, the wyvern..."

"Well, that's not a surprise," the wyvern rider said, looking much more cheerful than before as he patted the wyvern on the side of its head. "Hyperion must've been a sight up there, but he's not nearly as scary as he looks."

By the time Lyn was smiling at the somewhat strange-looking but kind wyvern rider, she could hear Sain grumbling about mud as the rest of the group approached. She turned to introduce them, but the words died in her throat as she took notice of Kent's expression--naked shock on a face that knew only composure. "Sir Heath?" he said, surprise coloring even his tone.

It surprised her, but she was downright confused when something darkened the wyvern rider's--Heath's?--face. He took a step back, rabbit-like in his sudden nervousness. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Are you from Bern? Black Fang?"

"No!" Lyn exclaimed, sheathing her sword in an attempt to look less dangerous. "No, we're not." She didn't want him to run now, not when she finally realized what that odd feeling of kinship from before was really about.

_He's the same as us. Running, used to being on the run..._

"Then, how do you know my name?" Heath pressed. As if echoing his master's emotions, Hyperion was on his hind legs and baring every claw and fang he could spare, great wings unfurled and blocking much of the sky in his show of power.

In comparison, Kent seemed to have reigned in much of his emotions as he spoke. "A few years ago, a contingent of Lycian knights visited Bern to renew our friendly ties with your country. I was one of them."

"I don't remember that," Sain said. Kent glanced his way.

"You were with your family."

"Oh--oh! Yes, I most certainly was!"

"Sain," Lyn said, suppressing a sigh at his hurried apologies.

"Anyway, we are most certainly not your enemy, Sir Heath," Kent continued. "And we have no intention of becoming such."

Heath stared at them, all of them, narrow eyes almost slits as he studied them. To Lyn, it felt as if even the slightest twitch would set him off, but he only nodded when he was done, his body language still full of tense wariness. "I see. You're all--you're like me, then, aren't you? Deserters of your country."

Kent sat up in his saddle, a stricken look on his face. "That's--!"

"Kent, please." Lyn thought it was strange to chastise someone older than her, just because, and the way he respectfully nodded and was immediately silent only made that weirdness all the more _there_. She turned towards Heath and extended a hand. "If you're running too, let's help each other out. Why don't you travel with us?"

Something of a smile began to appear on Heath's face. "You're too kind, miss. Actually, I'm working as a mercenary--one of Eubans' number, here in Laus. That's why I was out here in the first place, to perform reconnaissance maneuvers."

"Even though you were once a knight?" Kent asked. It seemed almost insensitive a question, and Lyn frowned to hear it, but Heath only nodded.

"I won't deny that I'm uncomfortable in my new role. Mercenaries rarely abide by any rules of chivalry, and this has put me at odds with some of the others, but I'm tired of running. Besides," Heath shrugged, though the movement looked anything but casual, "the reason why I left Bern was to uphold my honor. That won't change--I won't let it change, no matter what I have to become to survive." Climbing up onto the wyvern's back, Heath looked more natural than when he stood on the ground. "Listen, this rain looks like it'll go on into the night. Let me help you find some shelter."

Too drenched to resist the lure of such an offer, they made to follow him. Heath was as good as his word, and they had that one night under a roof, even if it was the roof of an abandoned, small abbey.

All Lyn would remember about that night was, amid Sain and Wil's laughter as they told stories for a hesitant Florina to judge, the image of Kent's pensive face as he stared into the fire, as if he was seeking something within the flames that he couldn't find in any of them.

-0-

_So, this is Ostia_, Lyn thought as they entered the castle town over a week later. Although it was dusk, there were still quite a few people outside as candlelight streamed through the windows of several houses. She smiled, mostly out of relief--_we've finally made it!_

"Lady Lyndis, _please_ tell me we'll be sleeping in real beds tonight," Sain pleaded. "We haven't slept indoors since Badon, and that was how many weeks ago?"

Lyn laughed, though Sain's words had a measure of truth in them, what with the days bleeding together to form large chunks of time that she couldn't split up into 'weeks' or 'months'. "Of course. We can afford that much. And tomorrow we'll prepare for our journey into Etruria."

As Kent said something about finding the town stable, Lyn watched as the last bit of the sunset disappeared in the western sky. _We've made it, we've made it, thank the spirits!_ was all that she could think about as celebratory joy and relief lifted the burden she had felt since Caelin, and she--

_Eh?_

--turned to her right suddenly, reaching for the hilt of one of her swords as she peered into the inky darkness of a nearby alleyway.

_Is someone there?_

This was what all her instincts were shrieking at her, but all she could do was gaze into the nothingness of the alley and wait.

"Lyn?"

Lyn blinked as she heard her name spoken, wrapped in Florina's soft, questioning voice. After giving the alleyway one last glare, she turned towards Florina. "Sorry, are we going to find the inn now?" she said, masking her suspicions with a cheerful tone. It helped that the feeling vanished, as if it had been a trick of the mind. Their journey had worn her down more than she cared to admit, she figured. Not being able to save her grandfather or Mark, being separated from many of her companions, hunted and tossed around at the whims of so-called allies...but it was all coming to an end now.

_Tomorrow, I can finally leave this country. We've lost so much, but we made it here together._

-to be continued-

I hope everyone's had a better summer than I have had, though I think that wouldn't be hard at all. I'm very sorry for the wait, and we'll be returning to the weekly schedule now.

According to the artbook, Kent and Heath are acquaintances.

05: Ostia, the largest castle town and head of the Lycian League, is a natural hub of trade between Lycia and Etruria. Split up to take care of preparations and personal obligations, Lyn and her friends find out just how infamous they've become since Lundgren became Marquess Caelin...


	6. 05 Goodbye, This Country of Sorrows

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

05. Goodbye, This Country of Sorrows

_Today we'll leave Lycia behind. All of us, together._

In a small room in the smallest inn, the only place they could afford in the entire castle town, Lyn gazed out of the window. She and Florina had taken the lone bed in the room while the men had to make do with the floor and blankets, but the small space itself was no different than all the nights they had spent under the stars. It was that feeling of being constantly surrounded that reminded her of being with her tribe, and that comforted her more than the roof over their heads, or the tall bed that made her feel like she might fall off if she rolled away from the center while she slept.

It was a bright, beautiful morning. She wasn't sure what that meant for them, but she hoped--no, she was going to believe that it was a good sign. They had gotten this far despite of everything; the weather was the least of her worries.

_Just a little longer._

"I'm back!" Wil called as he entered the room. He had left to return their breakfast tray to the kitchen, instead of having their planning interrupted or overheard. Maybe she was being too cautious, but the memory of possibly being watched made her feel anxious.

"Let's begin," she said, looking at each of her companions, her friends. "When do you think would be the best time to leave?"

"Midday, milady," Sain, who was sitting at the lone small table with Kent, answered promptly. "All the border guards will be exhausted from inspecting the morning rush and waiting to break for lunch. Also, if Ostia's anything like Caelin, they'll be performing their guard rotation around that time. The guards leaving will consider little else than their own stomachs, while the guards coming on will be too miserable or too full to trouble themselves with anything more than adequacy."

_Are you speaking from experience?_ Lyn wondered as she glanced from Sain to Kent. The latter looked almost disinterested, something that puzzled Lyn; if anyone had a remark to make after that report, it would be him. "Kent, do you agree?" she asked, hoping to draw out a response from him.

After a moment, Kent nodded. "That would be an accurate assessment."

"...I see." Shrugging mentally, Lyn decided to move on. "Then, we have some time to get supplies and information before we go. Does anyone have a preference?"

"Ah, Lady Lyndis, there's something that has been weighing on my mind as of late, " Sain said, looking strangely serious. "I'd like to see if Serra has safely arrived."

"That's a great idea. She was returning to Ostia originally, wasn't she?" Thinking back to the days when everything seemed right, Lyn smiled a little as she fiddled with a loosening string from her belt. "I've been worried about everyone, especially since there's no way we can contact most of them by now. If Serra is here, then we can learn about Erk and Matthew. That's not everyone, but..."

"Never fear, milady, your loyal man Sain will find out everything you wish to know!" Standing up, Sain looked every bit the confident knight Lyn knew him as, and she felt her mood spark up a bit in response.

"Then, I'm counting on you," she said. With a grandiose bow that made her giggle, Sain left the room. "Well then, there's still four of us."

"Um..."

Used to the humming quality trembling within Florina's small voice, Lyn leaned forward in genuine interest as she turned towards the bed. "What is it, Florina?"

Her friend fidgeted, fingers that looked too delicate to grip a lance or entangle themselves within leather-strong reins currently playing with the ends of her hair. "Um, there's something that I, um, need to do."

Lyn considered. "In Ostia?" Florina nodded but didn't add more, which Lyn figured was because of the men in the room. "All right, let's go together."

Florina's fingers curled into small fists. "I'd like that, but...it's pegasus knight business, so I have to go alone." Looking up at Lyn, her expression was troubled. "Because there're pegasus knight offices in many capitals, and I still need to register since you said...this was a mercenary group, so..."

"Oh, I remember that," Lyn said, thinking aloud. "We'll meet up later, then?"

A smile bloomed on her best friend's face as she nodded. "Okay. Then, I'll go now..." Other than keeping her head bowed as she walked by Wil, who was leaning against the wall next to the door, Florina seemed to be expressing herself around the others much better than she had in the beginning.

_This situation has been tiring_, Lyn thought, _but trying times do make people stronger. I wonder if I...?_

"Hey, I'm going to go on ahead too," Wil suddenly declared. Maybe some of her confusion was showing, because he shrugged and grinned like he didn't have a care in the world. "Don't worry! I'll find out whatever we need to know. You two can handle the shopping best, anyway."

"That's true..."

"See you!"

The wooden, heavy sound of the door closing behind Wil seemed to only make the emptiness of the room that much more apparent. _If everyone already had things they wanted to do, I should've just said that I would do the shopping_, Lyn thought, her mental tone dry. She looked at the only other person in the room, a very unconcerned-looking Kent. "I guess it's just you and me," she said in an attempt to fill up the room with something other than silence.

Kent nodded. "At your service, milady."

-0-

_Hmm...I wonder...I think maybe this...? What did the instructor say again...? Ah..._

Florina walked down the unfamiliar street, completely and utterly terrified of the many people all around her as they gathered at the food stalls that lined the street. The sun wasn't too high, but with all the people around it felt hotter somehow. It was nothing like this in Edessa! There, everyone stayed inside and did things because it was too cold not to, unless it was the Festival of the Ice Dragon. That was the only day when everyone was outside and there was lots of food and it felt like fun just _breathing_.

It didn't feel like that usually, not in Ilia. Not in all the places she'd been to outside of Ilia either, not unless Lyn was with her.

Other than the annual festival, Florina felt nervous around large crowds. Like in training back in Ilia, where she had to follow commands instantly and without even a fumble. It made her so nervous, trying to be perfect like her big sister Fiora, knowing that when she made a mistake--and she always made them, no matter how hard she tried--everyone else in the group would stare at her while the instructor would point out all her flaws. And then Farina would make fun of her all the time.

All crowds were like that. It made her want to be invisible.

Now--right now--she knew she was going to make a mistake. She was going to trip, or someone would ask her a question and she'd stutter a lot and not know what the answer was, and then she'd be stared at by all these people in this foreign city, and it'd somehow be worse because she knew other people didn't like pegasus knights. She'd heard _stories_.

She was expecting something bad to happen, she just knew it. She just wasn't expecting--

"Hey, there you are! Florina! Can you hear me?"

--Wil.

Florina's mind went blank. By instinct alone, she stopped and stared as Wil bounded through the crowd, his smile wide and ever-present right until he reached her and took a good look at her face. "A-are you okay?" he asked, wide-eyed. "You look like--you're not going to cry, are you?"

As quickly as possible, she turned away from him and shook her head, embarrassed. He just looked so concerned for her that she wanted to get away from him as soon as she could.

Was the crowd watching them now? She couldn't bear to look...

"Oh, good. I don't know what I'd do if that happened. I mean, I guess I'd go find Lyndis, but I couldn't just leave you by yourself to cry in the middle of the street! I'd feel really bad, and I wouldn't be able to face Lyndis...hah, and then I bet Sain would lecture me on how to treat a girl, though I don't think I want to follow his advice..."

The image of Sain lecturing Wil, complete with all those big, gusty gestures and loud voice, bubbled up in her mind, and with that so did her laughter.

She heard him chuckle, a pleasant sound. "I guess you're not mad or anything. That's good." Wil really did sound relieved, and that made her feel guilty. Her face felt hot as she glanced at his shoulder.

"...I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I surprised you, so of course you'd react badly." Suddenly, his face was in view; while she did sneak glances at the faces of all the men she traveled with, it gave her a shock to see Wil's wide, sincere smile so close to her own face. "But you know," he said, his voice softer than usual as his expression turned thoughtful, "we've been traveling together for a while now. We're like comrades! I know you'd watch my back, and I'd definitely watch yours." Now he smiled again, this time in what she sensed was an encouraging manner. Lyn smiled like that a lot. "So, don't be afraid to talk."

Florina trembled, overcome with a strange, nameless emotion. She wanted to say something, but she was never very good about getting her point across, especially not to men. In the end, all she could manage was a tiny, "...Thanks."

There was something about the people around her, how they managed to reach out and talk and say things and make it look so easy to do all those things, that she really liked. It was as if they never made mistakes, or at least, that they easily picked themselves up and went along as if nothing had happened at all. She really, really wanted to become someone like that.

Maybe, if she tried really hard, she could.

As Wil talked, first about how he didn't mean to delay her and was she walking this way and oh, he'll walk with her, then about how boring Ostian architecture was and how he liked traveling with Lyn because it was nice to travel in a group, she simply reveled in how he effortlessly filled the space between them with words. It was like he could talk about anything, pulling out sentences and topics from the atmosphere like he was grabbing arrows out of the quiver he usually wore, and while that thought made her shiver a little--oh, arrows were _scary_--it was right. Though, he didn't try to hurt anyone with his words, so that was good. They walked along the thinning crowd, though she kept close to the buildings so she wouldn't have to dodge too many people. She didn't really notice much, immersed as she was in all his words.

She just happened to glance into the alleyway as she passed by, and then there were hands reaching out towards her--

-0-

"I wouldn't think we'd need new weapons," Lyn mused as she walked, one hand tapping the money pouch she kept on her belt. "We've been lucky every since we began traveling on this side of the river. We don't have much money left anyway, so that's just as well. Then, I think we should just buy some vulneraries..." Glancing over at Kent, who had been walking beside her and being unusually silent, she let her arms casually swing by her sides. "What do you think, Kent?"

He nodded. "That would be best."

"Oh." Lyn looked around at the empty streets of the shopping district, a long walk north from the inn. "I'd think there would be more people in this area."

"The majority of the crowds are at the food stalls at this time of day."

While she was happy that he was answering her questions, the whole mood seemed off. Lyn tilted her head to look at him. "You seem different today. I'm used to hearing you talk more. Are you feeling well?"

Only after the words had left her mouth did Lyn think about how that must've sounded to Kent. It was obvious that it had occurred to him as well, because a flicker of bemusement crossed his face before his usual composure settled back into place. "Pardon?" he asked, his tone mild.

"I don't mean that you talk too much, of course," she assured him, "only that you usually give reasons when you feel one way or another."

The corners of his mouth edged up in a smile, and even his eyes didn't seem as hard as they usually did. "I assure you there is nothing particularly wrong with me. I simply have nothing to add when you make sound decisions."

_His voice is slightly hoarse_, her mind registered, but she decided not to pry. "If you say so," she said instead, returning his smile. "You must be annoyed by all my questions."

"On the contrary, milady, I'm only sorry that I've worried you so much as of late." He looked around, then pointed at a building, its distinctive crimson roof as bright as blood under the clear skies, up ahead. "I believe that is the item shop that sells vulneraries."

"Don't all item shops?" she asked, confused.

"Ostia is the largest castle town, as well as the head of the Lycian League. Thus, its reputation allows for a greater capacity for trade. That's why there are so many shops here." He gestured at all the stone-gray buildings and their red roofs, the continent standard for armories and item shops.

"It's a good thing we only need to go into one," Lyn remarked as she started towards the shop door. The creeping sensation of being watched prodded at her instincts, which flared up in warning. Narrowing her eyes in irritation, she turned around and found several men staring at them. They looked like little more than common bandits, and the wave of hate that swept through her in response was not unwelcome.

The man in front, who was both bald and had a crinkled face, a combination that made Lyn think of a baby, nodded at her. "Haven't seen you around here before. You passing by?"

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Kent tensing, prepared for a fight. She shook her head, trying to keep her tone mild as she said, "Is there something you need? We're in a hurry."

"Listen to that accent," another man, entirely forgettable in looks, commented. "An' those clothes. She's as foreign as they come. A Sacaean girl traveling with a Lycian knight...there's no mistake. That's the impostor princess and the oathbreaker."

"Lady Lyndis," Kent said in a low voice.

The third one drew his sword. "If we take 'em down, they could be our ticket to livin' easy. Maybe the new marquess'll even make us knights."

Kent's tone was considerably drier as he warned in the same quiet tone, "We can only afford to incapacitate them. Killing them will make it impossible for us to cross the border today, if at all."

Settling into a ready stance, Lyn nodded. "I don't know how to do that, but I'll try."

_I won't have our plans ruined now--we're too close!_

As the baby-headed man began to draw his sword, Lyn dashed forward, popping out one of her swords from its scabbard with the thumb of her left hand as she reached for the hilt. Before he could do anything, she stepped to his right, pivoted, and carved a deep gash into his right shoulder. Crying out, the man fell to his knees. Her heartbeat raced as she clearly saw all the ways she could kill the defenseless man without even breaking her rhythm, but the image of him trying to cover his wound with his other hand as blood seeped through his fingers reminded her of Kent's words, her own vow. Sparing a moment to change her grip, she slammed the pommel of her sword against the ridge of his spine at the bottom of his neck and watched him topple over, unconscious.

When she looked up, she was met with a blade rushing towards her face.

By instinct alone she stepped to the right, intending to suffer the blow on her weak arm, but the next sound she heard wasn't that of metal tearing into flesh, but instead the horrific clang of two blades meeting in mid-swing. She turned her head enough to see Kent's strained expression, teeth clenched tightly as he blocked the blow that was meant for her. Lyn took the opportunity she had been given, repeating her previous move and knocking out the bandit. Three bodies on the ground, and although she had been fortunate to have Kent's help, she still wasn't even breathing hard.

"It only gets easier," she murmured to no one in particular.

"Lady Lyndis?"

"Sorry," she began to say as she turned to face him, but something on the roof of the item shop caught her eye. There was a woman standing there, as motionless as the building on which she stood. With the late morning sun in Lyn's eyes, though, she couldn't make out even the color of the stranger's clothes. After a moment, the woman tossed something down at Lyn. Fear thudded within her as she knelt down and picked up the object. It was a small, dark blue glove.

It was Florina's glove.

Lyn jumped up into a standing position, but the other woman was already nimbly running across the rooftop before jumping to the next. Gripped by a violent wave of fear, rage, and something even darker, Lyn took off after her.

-0-

"--And while Lord Uther is...passable, I suppose, his younger brother is the most unbelievably uncouth slob I've ever had the misfortune of laying my delicate eyes upon!"

"Truly?"

"Mm-hm. Well, my situation here isn't so horrible that I can't endure it, I suppose, but I certainly deserve more respect. If only..."

The tender whisper that escaped Serra's lips was almost too much for Sain to bear as they meandered through the church's sparse gardens, following only their hearts as they grasped for what little time they could share now, together, before cruel fate would intervene and pull them apart once more. Just the mere thought of separation was enough to bring his mood down from its exalted heights to the new moon darkness of despair, but he would endure, just like Serra had until he returned into her life like a shooting star--ah, that bright, fleeting gift of hope!

But now, right now, the only fleeting thing was her melodious voice, and so he leaned in a little closer to hear whatever beautiful sorrow she would impart from her maiden's blush-pink, petal-shaped lips. "If only?" he repeated, his heart gripped by an ineffable emotion.

"Hmm..." She was not looking at him; instead, she brought a finger to her lips, the impeccably manicured nail of which was indenting her bottom lip just so. For all the stars in the boundless night sky, he couldn't keep his heart from pounding an impatient tattoo within his chest. "I wonder if I should tell you my secret. After all, a single indiscretion on your part could imperil everything my dear parents worked for to protect me, their beloved only child!"

Sain's eyes flew open, lulled as he was by her sweet voice. "Eh? S-Serra! Would you doubt the word of this knight, your Sain?"

"Well..." Suddenly, Serra seemed greater than her diminutive, slender figure would suggest, brilliant blue eyes dazzling him with their clarity. "You have to admit that you aren't the most trustworthy man alive," she stated, her gaze boring into his own like judgment from on high itself.

"But surely you, of all people, would understand the fickle nature of love!" he argued. "Day by day, everyday, a single meeting of the eyes is the ephemeral road on which two hearts meet--"

She tapped her foot, arms crossed in a truly fetching display of impatience. "Sain, what's your point?"

"My heart overflows with so much love, and there are so many women who live the bleak lives of those unloved, so--"

"Stop!" He did so, though he was a bit miffed about it. Not one person had ever let him finish his treatise of love. "Of course I understand the hopelessness of love. After all, I've had to turn away so many because of my vows, like poor Erk and Matthew, but the way you go about it..."

_Didn't Lady Lyndis say something about...oh!_ "Speaking of which, where are they? Lady Lyndis was wondering how they were."

Serra shrugged. "Erk left a couple days ago for Etruria. As for Matthew, did you know he's actually an Ostian vassal? It seems like everywhere I turn, there he is! Of course that's understandable, but he should really think about his girlfriend's feelings."

"Wasn't he...a thief?" Sain asked, frowning as he tried to place who Matthew even was.

"Now that I think about it, he's been doing something weird lately over by the west gate. He spoke to me as if I were a common pest when I just happened to notice him there." Now there was an indignant, yet cute, scowl on her face.

"Shall I go find out what he's doing?" Charmed by her many expressions as he was, Sain still wanted to bring about a smile to her lips. After all, women always looked favorably upon those who made them truly happy. He couldn't help but let out a sigh at this thought--that was what he had sworn would be his life's work, although no one seemed to understand.

Serra shrugged again. "If you want. Anyway, I have to go to the castle now, so..."

Leaning in, an expectant smile crossed Sain's face. "Yes?"

"Tell Lyn I wanted to talk to her. Even with that nasty business looming over her head, I won't abandon our friendship!" With those words, she quickly walked around him and was gone, as if she had been nothing more than a whisper of a dream. His heart now beat softly, in longing; he was so sure that she would give him at least a kiss, no matter that even God and the heavenly saint themselves were against their love!

...Well, there was always next time!

-0-

Lyn ran.

Feet pounding the stone-paved ground, body lurching forward, arms propelling her forward--Lyn ran. She ran until her lungs burned from the pressure, until her throat was cotton-dry, until her arms and legs felt like giving out, then she ran even harder.

The glove clutched in her left hand was all she needed to know that stopping wasn't an option.

That woman, who had bounded along the rooftops with all the easy grace of the mountain cats Lyn had seen at home, didn't stop either. When there had been no more shops, she took to the streets, darting in and out of identical-looking alleyways like someone who knew Ostia. She moved with purpose, never a misstep in any of the _tak-tak-taks_ of her high-heeled boots. Lyn could tell that much because she had spent a lifetime on the plains watching the beasts hunt, and hunting them herself. This chase was what the other woman wanted.

It didn't matter. Only Florina mattered. That dark, pulsing rage she had felt before, when Mark had died and Florina had been injured, was like a different heartbeat. It didn't have the same rhythm as the one that beat harder and faster the more she ran.

_I want to be stronger to protect everyone, and to avenge the ones I wasn't able to protect._

Then, as suddenly as she moved once the realization _that's Florina's glove!_ burst all over her mind like the splatter of a thrown egg, the chase ended.

They were in a secluded place with lots of shade from big, leafy trees. A building acted as the wall on her right side, and the perimeter wall of the town itself stood in front of and to the left side of her. The woman stood a few feet away, no particular expression on the portion of her face that wasn't covered by her short magenta hair. However, that was no longer the most important thing to Lyn.

Wil and Matthew were there, hitching a wagon full of bales of hay to what looked like Kent and Sain's horses.

Slowly, Lyn began to shake her head in disbelief. "What is this?"

"Oh, there you are." As if there was nothing wrong, a smirk played on Matthew's face as he said, "Guess my secret's out. Though, I'm sure you would've never believed that a common thief could possibly be working for Ostia."

"Matthew," the woman said in a chiding voice. At that, his smirk only grew wider.

"C'mon, Leila. I owe her an explanation."

So many emotions churned inside Lyn that she couldn't hope to sort through them. Everything felt surreal, as if she was in that moment between sleep and full wakefulness. It was all she could do to lift the hand that held Florina's glove. "Where is Florina?"

Wil turned to face her. His smile was not a comfort. "Don't worry, she's fine. She was a bit surprised about everything, but right now she's on her way to the other side of the border." Then, his smile dropped. "Lyndis? I wanted to be the one to tell you, but I had to help get the horses..."

"I thought Florina was in danger," she said, trying to temper down her anger. She turned to the woman, this Leila. "Why didn't you just talk to me?"

"I was wary about approaching you right after your battle while bearing your friend's glove." Leila bowed her head in what Lyn supposed was meant as an apology. "It was reckless of me."

"You were in a fight?" Wil asked, worry in his voice. Lyn nodded.

"Kent and I were recognized, but it wasn't too bad." Something bothered her, and after another cursory look around, she realized what it was. "Where's Sain? He went to go see Serra, and--"

"He went to see _who_?" Matthew asked, an edge to his voice that wasn't there before. Lyn frowned at him, surprised at his reaction.

"Serra. Don't you remember her? She's a cleric who was heading to Ostia--"

Matthew held up a hand. "I know, I know. But why would he...wait, why am I asking that?"

"Kent." Lyn turned, idly realizing that she had never even thought about Kent once she began running, yet he was right there when she needed him--and she had expected that. "Can you see if Sain is in the area?" With a nod of acknowledgment, Kent left. Once she could no longer see him, she turned back towards the others. "I'm still confused by all this," she admitted.

"Hey, perfectly understandable." After glancing at Wil's attempt to attach what Lyn thought was Sain's horse to the wagon, Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Leila, can you help Wil? We have to leave soon."

"I've never done this before," Wil muttered, moving aside for Leila.

"Anyway, my lord was interested when he heard that the former Marquess Caelin had a granddaughter, and he wanted to assess your claim to Caelin's throne. That's where I came in," Matthew said as he approached Lyn. "He was willing to give his support to you, but with Lord Hausen's death, he had to withdraw and pretend to be a neutral spectator."

Puzzling over this, Lyn could only ask, "Why?"

"Two reasons." He raised one finger. "One, he's the marquess of the most powerful canton in the League, as well as the head of the governing council and such. He can't be shown as being partial, especially since your situation wasn't looking too great then. Since he has other issues that he wanted to have the other marquesses pass, he couldn't afford to show support or else the other marquesses would think that he'd use his power to interfere with their territories."

A second finger followed. "Two, you don't have any physical claim, like a ring or a pendant or anything like that. You have no living Lycian relative who would make the claim for you. To the common Lycian, you're just a girl from Sacae claiming to be a marquess' relative. To the other marquesses, you're a threat by virtue of being an absolute unknown to them. Most of them are too entrenched in their ways and resist change unless it suits them. Caelin's inheritance struggles didn't."

"Even if it was the right thing to do?" she asked, her words lacking their usual force. Matthew nodded.

"I know Lord Elbert gave you assistance, even going so far as to deceive Lundgren in person, and my lord allowed me to do this on the condition that I take full responsibility if you're discovered. 'Course, with the help I found, that won't happen." He inclined his head towards the woman who was deftly preparing the horses, and Lyn could see a certain tenderness soften his usual smirk.

Lyn, who prided herself on being someone who could look at anyone in the eye, glanced away. "Thank you," she said, but her thoughts were not as kind.

_All these powerful people, and yet they can't do anything. They don't do anything. They only watch and wait to see what the outcome will be before deciding how to make the situation profitable for themselves. The most any of them can do is assist in secret, almost as if it were shameful to help others...I shouldn't have doubted Eliwood's father, but I never would've thought that he would be helping me by meeting with Lundgren. It's a different world from Sacae...  
_

_If Grandfather had lived, would I have stayed here? Would I have learned to accept such ideals?_

"Time to go," she heard Matthew mutter under his breath, and she turned to find Kent and Sain approaching. As Matthew walked away, mumbling about finding a hat, Lyn could see the exact instant Sain's eyes fell upon Leila.

"Ah, I've never seen such a--" The words stopped when Sain happened to glance at Lyn. In the time it took to take a breath, Sain's entire demeanor changed. "Lady Lyndis? What's wrong?" He rushed over to her, Kent not far behind.

_I can't think about any of that. Not now. It doesn't matter anymore._

She tried to smile, but settled for just trying to look normal. "I'm fine, really." Nodding towards the wagon, she ran a hand through her bangs. "Let's go."

-0-

"Lyn!"

Brushing bits of straw from her clothing, Lyn turned at the familiar voice. "Florina!" she cried out, running towards her best friend and giving her a quick hug. "You made it safely?"

Florina nodded. "I was worried that the border guards would be annoyed, but, um, I guess they see lots of pegasus knights so they didn't care."

"Good!" Pulling out Florina's glove from her belt, Lyn handed it to her. "Here. I was so worried when I received this. I thought something horrible had happened to you!"

"Um, I'm sorry," Florina murmured, looking down. Lyn shook her head.

"It's fine. We're together again now."

A bright smile appeared on Florina's face. "Right!"

As they walked back to the wagon, Florina's pegasus walking behind them without needing to be led, Lyn looked around. Etruria looked similar to Lycia, all open fields with the occasional grove of fruit-bearing trees, but to her there was something different in the air, something lighter carried by the wind. It didn't remind her of Sacae, but that was fine.

"Lady Lyndis, we're ready to leave whenever you're ready," Kent informed her when they arrived. Lyn glanced at the wagon that was still attached to the horses.

"We're keeping the wagon?"

"Think of it as a gift," Matthew said in a cheerful tone, a large straw hat balanced on his head. Beside him, Leila only shook her head, amused. Lyn remembered hearing the conversation the two had had, muffled by the straw she and her friends had to hide in, about how Matthew was supposed to fool anyone into believing he was a farmer with just a hat, but somehow it had worked.

"Thank you for everything," Lyn said, pleased at having so much hay for the horses, even though Etruria looked lush in late springtime. "I hope one day we can meet again."

"Right, same here." After a moment, Matthew and Leila turned around and began to walk back towards the border, not even a mile away.

Lyn began to walk, smiling as Wil chose to sit in the wagon, but something soft and insistent began to prod at her. After trying to ignore it, she realized that was important enough to stop for. After telling the others that she'd be right back, she began to jog down the road, reaching the couple without feeling winded. They had heard her coming, and they both glanced at her with curiosity when she reached them. Lyn took a deep breath, then asked the question that had been on her mind. "Why didn't you ask me about Mark?"

Matthew shrugged. "Once I heard about your time in Pherae, I knew he was dead. He was a good tactician, but as soon as your grandfather died I don't think he would've ever made it out of Caelin alive." There was nothing Lyn could say to that, so she didn't. Instead, she nodded and turned to walk back to her friends.

Lycia was behind her now.

-to be continued-

And this concludes our 'Escape' arc! It only took over a year to get it finished...heh, sorry. I hope you've enjoyed it, and I can only hope you'll keep enjoying where the story goes!

Between FE6 and 7, I have no clue how Ostia actually looks, but I'll assume it's larger than the shopping sidequest chapter suggests!

...I don't think I'll write another Sain perspective for a while. It's fun, but my mind hurts.

06: As Lyn and her friends settle down in a small Etrurian village to recuperate and decide on their next destination, one of them considers the past and present in ways that could lead to a separate future from the others...


	7. 06 Stronger Than Fealty

_Ever since I was young, I knew that I would become a knight. My father had been a knight, and his father before him, and so on, linking my family heritage inextricably with Caelin's knighthood. It has been more than an honor to serve; it has been my life._

_I remember the day Sain and I had been summoned by Lord Hausen. There had been a measure of pride in his voice that I had never been privy to before that day, and it only grew as he talked about his daughter, Lady Madelyn, and his granddaughter, Lady Lyndis, and how they had been living on the plains of Sacae. Sain and I were thus ordered to go there, for Lady Madelyn had expressed a desire to reunite with Lord Hausen and introduce him to his granddaughter._

_"Protect them with your lives," Lord Hausen had said, but he needn't have; the love and happiness he felt for his estranged family clearly told us how precious they were to him. That he would assign to us a mission of such importance revealed to us in turn that he felt we were eminently capable of carrying out our duty._

_I will always cherish that memory, the last day I would ever spend as a member of House Caelin._

_Many events have happened since then, but in the wake of Lord Hausen's death I must admit to feeling as if I were lost. Although I have followed Lady Lyndis on her escape from Lycia, I cannot help but have doubts about how much farther I can follow, no matter if I believe hers is the right path. My knighthood has been stripped of me, my honor rendered as worthless, my home is no longer my own, and I dare not think of what has happened to my family._

_What do I have left?_

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

06. Stronger Than Fealty

"I think...aking up?"

"--bad. Can...please?"

Bits and pieces of conversation floated by, and every so often Kent would attempt to snatch up a few when they drifted close. For the most part though, it took far more energy than he was willing to expend, and somewhere in the depths of his memories a faceless voice warned him to save his strength.

What images he did see were scant frames, all too frequently poking at the edge of his vision or vague blurs of vivid colors. Sometimes there was motion, but the sharp mind he had once been famed for was now dull, worn, and he did not understand what he saw. They were the closest things to dreams for him.

It was as if he merely existed to exist.

He slept.

-0-

There was something cold placed upon him. He awoke but did not, part of his mind attempting to figure out where that object was and failing. If he were more aware he would be embarrassed at himself, but the truth was that he did not know enough to attempt the process to become embarrassed. At this point in time, he mentally flailed around until he grabbed the word _forehead_. Satisfied, he dozed until a new, more annoying question popped up.

_What is it?_

It was followed by an even harder question.

_Why is it there?_

As if knowing that he would never get any rest otherwise, he opened his eyes. There was a part of his mind that thought it would be best if he could rub his eyes and remove some of the buildup around them, but he quickly realized he was far too weak to raise his arm. Since he didn't have a choice, he supposed it was fine and moved on to more pressing concerns. Above him were the rafters of a ceiling--he was inside a building, a house...an inn? He wondered if it mattered; already he felt weighed down, exhausted for no real reason at all, except for the fact that his throat felt like it was throbbing. He remembered that it had felt that way for some time now, though 'some time' was currently undefinable. Overall, he was far from optimal condition, and he disliked it.

"Kent?"

He turned his neck and immediately regretted it when his head started to throb and his vision went hazy. Closing his eyes made him feel better, but he felt compelled to see, or at least answer, the owner of the voice. Responding became a distant dream after he tried and came up with, "Nn," before he realized that his throat was incredibly, horribly raw. Wincing, he resisted the urge to swallow.

"Here. Open up, I have some water."

There was something pressed against his lips. Drops of cold liquid trickled onto his lips, a pleasant feeling. When he began to drink, cautious at first, then almost greedily as the refreshing water began to soothe the soreness of his throat, it was as if his entire mind awoke all at once and continued to stay awake until after the water was gone and all the energy he put into the act of drinking dissipated.

"You really were thirsty, weren't you? You haven't had anything in about a day, so that makes sense. Your fever seems to have gone down, so you'll be feeling better soon."

Words, many words, but unlike before, Kent was able to understand them. He had apparently been worse off, in the clutches of a fever, but he might have preferred that to the way his throat felt. Opening his eyes, he could see large green eyes, slightly tapered at the corners in an exotic slant, the only concession to his lady liege's Sacaean heritage within her facial features.

"Kent." Her lips curved into a smile. "Get some more sleep, all right?"

He complied.

-0-

The next time he awoke, he was far more cognizant than recent memory had shown. Although he still felt oddly weary, he was aware that any dizziness or throbbing in his head was due more to his being bedridden for an unusually long amount of time rather than symptoms of his condition. Only his throat continued to trouble him; inflamed as it felt, even accidentally swallowing made him wince as the sensation of what felt like open sores rubbing against each other momentarily overwhelmed him. As someone who rarely experienced anything more than the odd winter cold, he couldn't say he was particularly pleased by this turn of events.

_If I could speak at all_, he thought ruefully. _I suppose, perhaps, this is my punishment for keeping my illness to myself. And yet, there had been no other way to act._

Sitting up and ignoring the wave of vertigo from such a simple act, he realized he was alone in the room. There was light streaming from underneath the curtains spread over the sole window in the room--daytime, he surmised. He took note of his surroundings, which appeared to be a rather homey room, but for all its wooden bric-a-brac and delicate metalwork of the handles of the bureau and dresser-drawers and other Etrurian furniture, it still had the staid, comforting blandness of an inn. He couldn't help but wonder if Sain was finally happy now, and how much Lady Lyndis was paying for this single room just to let him have a place to recuperate.

Guilt, a familiar acquaintance, sidled up to him like Sain trying to convince him to a round at the tavern. Kent exhaled heavily through his nose and wondered if he might not be better off sleeping, or at least attempting it.

The door creaked open, and the slender figure of his lady liege--his only liege now--stepped through the narrow opening with a tray in her hands. A comforting smile appeared on her face when she noticed him. "Ah, you're awake. Good. I have some food and medicine for you."

The thought of having to swallow anything made the stoic facade he was attempting that much harder to wear. Only the thought of making her worry even more than she already had kept him from reacting. That he couldn't express his gratitude to her weighed on his mind, and he raised his hand to his throat to try to alert her as to why he was being so rude.

A look of concern appeared on her face--Lady Lyndis was incredibly easy to read at all times, he found. "Your throat? Does it hurt? Oh, wait, you can't talk?" She shook her head. "Don't worry, we planned for something like that."

He could only stare at her in confusion. After her face darkened, her brow creased as she gazed back as intensely as possible, something seemed to occur to her.

"Oh, you're wondering--sorry, your face...it doesn't really change much." He raised an eyebrow in question at that, but she was too busy putting the tray down on the table beside his bed and stirring the most watery-looking concoction that still pretended to be soup he had ever seen since his training days as a knight. "We all went digging for herbs since we didn't have enough money to buy a healing draught. It's a good thing Wil knows a little about things like that. I do too, but only Sacaean remedies, and none of those ingredients are out here. Sain was really helpful about figuring out what you had. None of us were sure, but he said that since you hadn't been scolding him as much, you had to have something wrong with your voice." Lady Lyndis gave him a sudden searching glare. "I thought so too after I thought about it. Your voice was hoarse in Ostia."

He looked away, chastised. While she was normally kind above and beyond what he would expect from someone to whom he served as a vassal, she had an intimidating hardness to her eyes that he had glimpsed on rare occasions. There was hatred there at those times, an anger that was at odds with what he felt was her true personality, and it was always aimed at bandits.

Knowing her recent past, Kent felt as if he could understand.

But that wasn't the glare she had now; now, she only looked annoyed. "Of course, Sain also said, 'You must be more understanding, as Kent is always thinking about the situation. To slow us down, even for a day of rest, might have meant our deaths in Lycia. That he waited so long to succumb to the heavy hand of illness is a mere demonstration of the loyalty true knights hold within their bosoms!'"

Kent covered his face with his hand. Lady Lyndis apparently had a talent for mimicry.

She laughed, a pleasant sound. "I thought so, too. But he's really a good friend of yours, isn't he? He made me promise I wouldn't scold you, and a Sacaean always keeps her word." Grinning, she handed him the tray, an act that made him panic--the thought of trying to get even the watery broth down his throat was enough to put off his appetite, no matter how hungry he felt at the aroma. Lady Lyndis looked perturbed when she saw his face. "Kent? Is something wrong?" she asked. He shook his head, unsure of what else he could possibly do. There was a thoughtful expression on her face for a moment before she smiled and picked up the spoon from the soup bowl. "Ah, I see. You still feel weak, right? That's fine, I'll feed you."

The thought of his lady liege, the woman he had promised Lord Hausen that he would protect with his life, stooping so low as to feel the need to feed him was quite possibly the most embarrassing incident in his not-quite-so-illustrious years of knighthood.

-0-

"Ah, Kent, how blessed you must have felt, being fed by the hand of Lady Lyndis--!"

That was the extent of Sain's first and last visit.

-0-

A slight fever kept Kent from recovering as quickly as he wanted. His world felt as if he were submerged in water again, a feeling he did not fight. Instead, he slept after Lady Lyndis had given him some water, ashamed by his continuing dependence on her, as if he were the child he had never been.

His mother might have been appalled by how much he needed to rely on the very person he had sworn to serve. He wondered how his father, who had passed away while he had been very young, might have reacted.

That he wondered at all puzzled him in the brief moment he had thought about it.

He awoke sometime later, when something cold was placed upon his forehead. _Perhaps it is Lady Lyndis_, he thought as he opened his eyes. Instead, it was Florina, who flinched away from him as soon as she noticed that he was awake. As long as he kept his eyes open, he knew that she would continue to be uncomfortable; indeed, she looked as if she was about to flee the room. Yet he still couldn't speak, which might have calmed her somewhat. He thought about it, then did the only thing he could do: he closed his eyes.

It was around the time he began to drift off when he felt her hands adjust the cold cloth on his head, but her presence was still there long after her touch was gone.

-0-

Intellectually, Kent had always known that Lady Lyndis was very kind. He could still remember the bit of disapproval he had felt when she decided to chase down the dark-robed men who had stolen Ninian's ring, just because the young lady had mentioned it was a memento from her mother. And, she had always treated everyone, including himself, with a great deal of respect and compassion. In that way, she reminded him of Lord Hausen, though he had to note that she had little more than a basic understanding of the relationship between lord and vassal. For that matter, she never seemed to care, even resisting it at times.

Kent was still unsure how he should feel about that; were it not for their ties as lady and knight of House Caelin, they might have never met. If she had continued to deny her blood right, would she not be insisting that she wished him to leave her be?

It was a troubling thought. Being her knight was the last semblance of normalcy he had left. What would he do if even that was gone?

"Kent?" Lady Lyndis' voice filtered into his thoughts. "Is something wrong? You look kind of intimidating." He wanted to apologize for worrying her, but the voice that came from him was little more than a rasp that troubled his throat. Lady Lyndis shook her head. "No, don't strain your throat. Here." She handed him a cup of the bitter medicinal tea he had grown used to in the last couple of days, which he took and drank without complaint.

He had no right, not when she was involved in its creation.

She was smiling when he was finished. "You really are a good patient," she commented as she accepted the cup. "I remember when I had to help with the sick when I was in Sacae. We're normally peaceful at heart, but as soon as someone gets sick, they would become so bad-tempered! Mother was about the only person who was still reasonable, but Father would drive the both of us and the healers all but mad!"

Watching the emotions fluttering across his lady liege's face, Kent found himself fascinated. Although her tone was clearly that of exasperation, her smile could not be denied, nor the glistening of her eyes. The few times she talked about her old life in her tribe were times when particular nuances in her expressions became truly apparent; her accent, which was usually subdued, would come out in force and make her words run together like flowing water, while the complex expressions that played across her face made up for the fact that she seldom gestured with her hands. At these times it was obvious to him that Sacaeans, known to be a taciturn people, put a lot of energy into their facial expressions to convey their point, and although Lady Lyndis held an obvious appreciation for language she still kept this much from her Sacaean heritage.

Kent held no ambivalence on how he felt about this--it was charming and compelling. He only wished he could ask more questions, if only to watch her face continue to light up with emotions he had no names for.

"Though, I was always hardy against illness," she continued. "I can't remember the last time I've been bedridden. Sain told me that it's the same for you." Suddenly, she laughed, a low, warm sound. "My parents would say that I was protected by the Lorca's guardian spirit, because nothing really seemed to harm me. When I was in my...eighth spring, I think, I was practicing some of the flips of a wind warrior, a myrmidon, and I managed to sun-spin off the cliff near our winter's land. I broke my arm and had a nasty bump on my head, but Papa--ah, Father--later told me, 'Lyndis, the sun is high. Now we will begin your training.'"

Though he couldn't understand some of the references she made, Kent listened. _I wonder what Lady Madelyn thought_, he wished he could ask, but instead he nodded encouragingly.

Lady Lyndis, holding his empty cup in her lap, looked somewhat embarrassed. "When you get better, will you tell me about your family? I'm curious..." She shook her head, her eyes averted from his face. "You seem to be a private person, so you don't have to agree if it makes you uncomfortable."

_There's nothing to tell_, he thought, but decided it would be far more prudent to simply nod. Lady Lyndis smiled.

"Good, good. I'll look forward to it. Though..." A thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Sain said something about your having lived in Castle Caelin since you were young. Are your parents...are they still alive?"

The question didn't bother him, although he could tell that she didn't care to ask it. Lady Lyndis is kind, he remembered, and just thinking it made him smile to ease her discomfort. He held up a finger to answer her question; she seemed to understand, nodding quickly in response.

"One, I see...hm." Now she only looked confused. "But why go to the castle? Why not stay at home with your family?"

There were a few replies he could think of, and since she had lived as a member of a tribe he thought she could understand one of them: _The Caelin knighthood was my family._ The thought made him feel ill at ease, however, and he lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I'm acting like a coyote, nosing at you with my questions." He shook his head, but that didn't seem to appease her or her darkening expression. "Now that I'm out of Caelin and safe, I can't help but wonder what life is like for people like you and Sain. Sain told me that he had a happy life with his family, but then I asked him if his family will be fine with Lundgren in power and he didn't have an answer. Just words. And it makes me wonder if I have the right to ask these questions, but I can't help but ask them anyway."

Her voice became increasingly agitated as she continued. "I remember when we were coming to that ruined village where we met Florina and Wil, and one of you asked, 'Where is the marquess and why isn't he doing anything about the bandits?' I always thought that was a strange question, because there are no marquesses in Sacae, but now that I've seen Lycia I wonder. Marquess Laus lets pirates do as they like so long as he gets some of their profits. Would Lundgren be that horrible? Will he send Caelin into disarray, leaving it a corpse to be picked at by vultures? How wonderful of a marquess was my grandfather, anyway? Was he a good man? Was he a great man? I know the sun does not stop for anything, I just wish I could change fate so that...so that I would _know_."

Even if he had full command of his voice, Kent knew that he had no words with which to soothe his lady liege. He could offer her nothing at all, save for his company.

After a moment, while murmuring an excuse about having some work in the village to perform, she left the room.

-0-

"Excuse me."

Kent looked up from the piece of armor he was polishing just as Wil entered the room. In the archer's hands was a tray with not only a cup of medicinal tea, but also a plate of unevenly-cut apple slices. "Thank you," Kent said, his voice grainy and rough. The edge of pain in using his voice had worn away, leaving only an insistent soreness.

"Oh, it's nothing," Wil said as he placed the tray on the table next to the bed. "Lyndis left me a note, since everyone else is out working today."

Kent frowned. "Working?"

"Yeah. The innkeeper can't keep up with maintenance, so we're helping fix up the place for a reduced rate. Then there's hunting for some of the villagers, and there was even a bandit scare a couple days ago, but we took care of that..." A look of surprise crossed Wil's face. "Ah! Actually, forget I said all that, okay?"

"Why?"

"Well, I, uh..." Wil sighed, not looking in Kent's direction. "Eh...I wasn't supposed to tell you that, that's why."

Kent's frown deepened. "On Lady Lyndis' order?" At this, Wil gave him an odd look.

"Huh? No. It was something Sain asked of all of us, since he said that you'd feel bad if you knew because you're still kind of sick and there's no way we'd let you work. I mean, not that you should feel bad anyway, since there's not that much work to be done and you do more than the rest of us. So, uh..." Wil smiled, looking sheepish, "you aren't mad, are you?"

"No," and Kent decided that he didn't have the right, as far as that went. For all the trouble Sain tended to cause, which meant that Kent had to expend extra effort in reining him in, it was also true that he could think of no other person he would trust with his life.

At least, until recently.

"You do sound better. Well, you don't sound like _you_, but I heard you couldn't really talk before. Lyndis said that she can't tell what you're thinking because you don't really have any expressions." At this, Kent raised an eyebrow, and Wil laughed as if in response. "So, I guess we'll be leaving soon."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah. Everyone was talking about it. Some of the neighbors told us that we have to see Aquleia at least once in our lives, since it's supposed to be the most beautiful and culturally-advanced city in Elibe. It sounds exciting, so I'm looking forward to it." Suddenly, Wil nodded, an expression of concentration now on his face. "Oh, that's right. Once you're feeling up to it, Sain said he wanted to talk to you. He said that he would've done it before, but that you're kind of moody when you're sick."

Normally, Kent would've been far less pleased to hear that sort of message; when Sain usually wanted to talk to him, it was to ask for money. However, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps there were other things on Sain's mind for once, perhaps even the same things Kent had come to wonder as they had run from place to place until Lycia was little more than a memory.

He wondered.

-0-

The full moon was out when Kent left the inn that night, its light blotting out a number of stars in the sky. A cool breeze ruffled his damp hair, and his expression soured when he thought about his illness redoubling in strength just because Sain had wanted to have their talk outside. _For someone so willing to announce his intentions and inflict them upon every woman he sees, it's almost a contradiction for him to be aware enough to understand subtlety_, Kent thought with no malice. He supposed years of enforced friendship would do that much.

Despite himself, he felt almost at peace.

Adjacent to the inn was an open field, the ample moonlight making it almost luminous while the grasses shimmered with the occasional breeze. It was there that Sain stood, loosely holding what appeared to be a gourd as he stared up at the moon. Kent could only imagine what sort of bad poetry his friend was composing and shook his head. "Why here?" he asked as soon as he approached Sain, not particularly caring if he sounded terse--Sain rarely heard anything more than the words.

"Hmm, you have to ask?" Expecting to hear Sain wax poetic, Kent was surprised when Sain turned to face him with a subdued expression. "Do you remember the night we were knighted, after the celebration? When we went up to the tower and drank most of the night away? The moon was full then, too."

_We made a promise to serve Caelin and our lord_, Kent remembered. It hurt, that single sentence that summarized everything they could no longer do, and he resented Sain for the sudden sentimentality. "Yes," he said, "we were found the next morning and made to perform double exercises for the rest of the month."

Sain sighed. "That would be what you would remember. You've not an ounce of romanticism in you, as usual. Did you ever enjoy being a knight?"

"Enjoy?" The word flew out of Kent's mouth like it was a curse. "It was my duty."

"Hm." With just that mumble to serve as a warning, Sain's laughter spilled out into the night. "If you're so determined to be angry tonight," he said, amusement in his voice as he held out the gourd, "then I, as your knowledgeable boon companion, can do nothing less than let you have the first drink."

Throat throbbing in muted irritation, Kent stared at the proffered gourd. "What is it?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Something to heal the heart and soothe the pains of the body," Sain announced grandly. After a moment, Kent decided there was little harm in humoring Sain this time and took the gourd. They sat down in the field, quiet except for the chirping of a cricket here and there. Pulling out the cork, Kent tipped the opening to his lips and tasted a rich, flavorful wine with only a hint of the burn of alcohol. It bothered his sore throat to drink it, but he supposed that a few swallows would be well worth the risk.

"It isn't bad," he said, handing the wine to Sain, who happily took it. "How did you get it?"

"There's no tavern here, only a winemaker who sends his fares out to the bigger towns. I told Lady Lyndis it would cheer up your spirits, and she, in her all her kindness and wisdom, allowed me to buy it."

"Basically, you mislead her."

"If you dislike it so much, I'll gladly keep the rest."

"Hn. It's certainly better than the cheap ales you like whenever you forced me to go to the tavern with you."

"Eh? Who said I drank those for the taste?"

"All that gold you borrowed from me over the years, and you wasted them on something you don't even like?"

"That's the difference between you and me. You're always seeking a reason, especially when you don't need one. As for myself--"

"You irresponsibly drift around and never see beyond the present."

The banter was honed so well over the years that there was never a hitch, not even as they continued to pass the gourd between them, and the years of friendship dulled the edge of the remarks far better than the alcohol. For Kent, who had tended to keep to himself in his days in Castle Caelin, having a friendship with someone who could be as ridiculously stressful to keep up with as Sain was sometimes more of a blessing than he cared to admit, least of all to himself. He still remembered the days when they were both training to become knights, and how annoyed he had felt with that odd, older newcomer who had no background in the knighthood and could not take anything seriously if his life depended on it, and how irritated he had felt always having to partner with said newcomer, and how aggravated he had felt whenever he had to retrieve his partner from either the tavern or a girl, and how secretly pleased he had been when they had been chosen to go to Sacae to find and protect what Lord Hausen had cared about most.

He trusted everyone in their odd party with his life, but Sain had been the first.

"I've decided to stay by her side," Sain said, breaking the comfortable silence.

Kent glanced at him. "Lady Lyndis?"

"It's my duty as a knight to protect all the lovely ladies of the land, and she's by far one of the most striking I've ever laid eyes upon." Kent's glance turned into a glare. "For what reason do you feel you have to give me such an evil eye?" There was a pout in Sain's tone, which Kent easily ignored.

"A knight? Under whose authority can we claim to be knights for?" Kent asked, reining in his emotions as best he could; unlike Sain, he could not claim too much of a tolerance for alcohol.

"My own."

"...What?"

There was an unusually serious look on Sain's face as he nodded. "You've been thinking about it too, I know. What does life mean for us, the knights who supported the real heir and have been made out to be nothing more than oathbreakers? I've thought all too much about it. But what makes a knight? An oath to a lord? Then, I'll swear it to her and her alone. We've seen her, her kindness, her strength, how nobly she has walked by our side and never wanted anything more than we had to give. She's Lord Hausen's granddaughter through and through."

Slowly, Kent nodded. He remembered how she had accepted each new member of their entourage with real pleasure, and how she had wanted to protect them all when there was nothing left they could do but run. There was her strength in the midst of battle and as she led them out of Lycia, and the strange fear in her eyes the night they hid inside the ship's hold. The empathy in her desire to understand what was bothering him, and the occasional ignorance she held regarding matters she had never needed to know. And then there was something else, something that had nothing to do with Lady Lyndis.

_Besides, the reason why I left Bern was to uphold my honor. That won't change--I won't let it change, no matter what I have to become to survive._

What did he leave Caelin for, if it wasn't to be true to himself and his honor?

Stumbling a little, Kent stood and extended a hand to Sain. "Come on," he said, "I'll not have Lady Lyndis stumble across your body in the morning and think of you as a drunkard upon everything else."

"Everything else? What a cruel thing to say!" Despite those words, Sain took his hand and stood. "After giving you advice appropriate for the knowledge that I--who is older and wiser than yourself might I add--had to struggle to earn?"

Kent coughed. In his numbed and relaxed state, his throat almost felt normal again. "You may be older than me, that's true, but three years is hardly a lifetime."

-0-

It was a cool, overcast morning a couple days later when they finally set out for Aquleia. Kent watched Lady Lyndis and Florina out of the corner of his eye as he prepared his horse for the road ahead, listening with one ear to the conversation Sain and Wil were having about having to sell the wagon for funds and how Wil cared little for riding on Sain's horse again. All the while, the thing he was most aware of was his heartbeat.

_Lady Lyndis has little need for a knight_, he thought, _and yet, knowing this..._

He took a deep breath, which helped somewhat, then approached Lady Lyndis. "Milady," he said in a low voice.

"Hm?" Lady Lyndis turned to face him with her usual smile. "What is it, Kent?"

Head bowed, he knelt before her. "Lady Lyndis. Henceforth from today, I formally announce that I am no longer a knight of House Caelin. Furthermore, I hereby declare my intent to serve you as my one true liege. My life is yours to do with as you will."

"Kent?" He could tell by his limited vision that she had dropped to one knee, but he kept his head lowered in proper obeisance. "You don't have to do this, whatever this is..."

"Ah, milady, but we certainly have to," Sain said as Kent heard footsteps approaching, "because there is no other we wish to follow but you. Though, he did steal my idea." Sain knelt down beside him. "Lady Lyndis, I would follow you wherever you go, even into certain death! And should my body be crushed, torn apart--"

"I'm not leading anyone into certain death, not to talk of all those other things!" Lady Lyndis shouted, sounding indignant. "And what is this, all of a sudden?"

Wil laughed. "Sain, that sounds more like a bad omen. Couldn't you have just copied what Kent said?"

"You want me to repeat such a boring oath? Since we're already eschewing tradition, why can't I swear something more imaginative?"

"Well, if I were a knight..."

Lady Lyndis sighed. "Am I supposed to swear something in return? Florina, what do you know about this sort of thing?"

"Well, um..."

Through all the noise, the chattering of his companions and his lady liege, Kent raised his head. Lady Lyndis was shaking her head at something Florina said, but when she noticed him she smiled, even though the lines on her brow reflected just how strange she found the idea of the ceremonial oath to be. Another complex expression on a face with Sacaean eyes and Lycian features.

And she was all the more beautiful because of it.

-to be continued-

Because of my new semester schedule, I'm moving the posting date for this series to Friday. So, please expect new chapters to appear every Friday, hopefully without (further) fail.

I was all set out to write a dramatic chapter, but Kent's just not naturally set up for that in my mind. I see him as being more of a 'still waters run deep' sort of man, and fairly unobtrusive besides. So the chapter ended up being a lot more mellow, and I personally hope more enjoyable for everyone. But I do think that, so long as he's with her, Kent will end up infatuated with Lyn because that's just how it goes.

07: Lyn and her friends arrive in Aquleia, said to be the most beautiful city in all of Elibe. Here, a chance encounter opens a door for them, one that leads to a land where the fields are filled with flowers the color of the sun and opportunities abound...a place these lost people could almost call home.


	8. 07 Silver and Gold

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

07. Silver and Gold

_The wind is different here._

Here, along the main road between Ostia and Aquleia, the wind carried the sounds of people. Lyn remembered the migration trail her tribe would take to avoid the worst of the rains and to find the ancestral hunting grounds, everyone on horses as they herded the goats and carried the gers. Day in and day out it was a well-ordered march, as if the memories of their ancestors who had first walked those same trails were imprinted on their souls, their identity as the Lorca. How well she remembered those days, when she could look back on her mama's horse and see the great dust clouds rising behind them, so many and so thick that they seemed to challenge the sun itself!

Here, now, it was far different. There were many peddlers along the road, their covered wagons often tied down with thick cords of rope so as to not end up with their merchandise flying across the road in case of an accident. She had heard a few merchants mutter a single phrase, 'time is money', and by the way they rushed on both sides of the road it seemed to her that they kept that idea close to their hearts. Because of their often reckless speed, though, it was becoming a common sight to see wagons pulled over onto the sides of the road, peddlers yelling at apprentices to fix a broken spoke or axle or else they'd lose large amounts of gold.

The wind carried gifts as well as curses, such as the scent of freshly blooming flowers or the sound of news from further ahead on the road. She accepted all that the wind offered, allowing her senses to fly as if they possessed the wings of the falcon, one of Father Sky's many emissaries, and puzzled over the bits and pieces they brought back. There was a little she could not understand, such as Elimine's prayers or records of shipments, a little that seemed strange, like the places one should visit in Aquleia, and many that just was, including the songs of the minstrels or the odor of the many beasts of burden and their offal. It somehow reminded her of Bulgar, Sacae's center of trade, and so she imagined that Aquleia had the same yellow clay walls and dirt streets.

As the sun reached the apex of its journey on their third day on the road, Lyn saw just how wrong she was.

If Bulgar and Ostia were lakes, then Aquleia was an ocean. Beyond the white stone walls of the Etrurian capital it seemed as if the town itself was climbing towards the sun, shops and houses and elaborate buildings that she couldn't place all lacking in comparison to the immense castle that stood tall, absolute and utterly unrepentant of its existence above everything else. People of all styles of dress walked on a ground that was not made out of dirt, but instead rounded gray stones. There seemed to be no end to the strange new sights; everywhere she turned, there were flags the colors of blue, white and yellow fluttering just under an open window of a building seemingly made entirely of brown stones, girls cajoling all those who came near to buy their basketfuls of flowers, and the large fountain just across from the town entrance which gushed streams of water that gracefully arched downward into a large stone basin of gleaming white-blue.

To Lyn, it made no sense. There were pieces she recognized from her experiences in other towns, but in Aquleia they were mashed together with so many other elements she didn't know until it made this place. It was all so unnatural, and yet...

"It's amazing," she murmured, her eyes darting one way, then another, as she tried in vain to see it all. "It's...I can't believe something like this exists..."

There was a tug on her sleeve. "Lyn, do you think...maybe it's all right to explore?" Florina asked, her cheeks pink and her eyes impossibly wide as she kept glancing from Lyn's face to the scenery before them. Lyn laughed.

"Of course! Let's look around together. Say..." Looking around, the words died in Lyn's throat as she noticed a dismounted Sain talking to a couple of giggling girls. Kent looked ready to intervene, but she could tell that he was reluctant to leave her. "Hm. Well, that's expected."

"True enough," Kent agreed.

"Yeah," added Wil. Florina only nodded.

Shrugging, Lyn pulled out some coins from her money pouch and handed them to Kent. "Kent, I hate to ask this of you..."

He shook his head after he took the money. "Think nothing of it, milady. As always, I am at your command."

Lyn smiled, touched more by Kent's warm tone than his words. His recovery from his recent illness seemed to have improved his mood, which she thought was only natural; she believed, as all Sacaeans did, that all illnesses began in the body and worsened in those whose mood was not properly balanced between that which Father Sky and Mother Earth ruled within the body. Treatment, then, had to be aimed at both the body and the spirit. Since accepting his vow--though it made her feel weird--Lyn noticed how much more at ease he seemed to be, and she welcomed it. "I hope that's enough for the stable. How about we meet at that fountain when the sun reaches..." Glancing at the sky, she noticed all the spires and such rising from the castle in the distance. "When it reaches that far tower, on the west part of that castle."

"There, the palace? Understood. We'll meet you then." With a nod, Kent left. Lyn turned to face Florina and Wil.

"Let's get your pegasus settled before we start looking around," Lyn said to Florina as she gave her best friend a couple coins. Her money pouch felt far too light afterwards; their extended stay at the last village hadn't helped their money situation, even after they sold the wagon and worked for funds. As Florina headed towards the nearest stable, Lyn lingered behind with Wil. "Are you sure you don't want to go with Sain and Kent?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Wil chuckled. "Watching Sain try to talk to every girl in the town isn't what I'd call exploring. And I really want to see everything I can, since I've never been here before."

"Right, me too." Glancing at Florina as she entered the stable with her pegasus in tow, Lyn smiled in an apologetic manner. "I know we've been traveling for a while and you already know this, but Florina might feel shy around you still. It's not as noticeable when we're all together, but since it's just the three of us, just please understand that."

"Oh, it's not a problem! I've already talked to her about it and let her know that it's perfectly fine for her to talk when she wants," Wil said. "Besides, I think she's working really hard on that. She wouldn't have asked to help watch over Kent if she wasn't."

_You talked to her about it...?_ Lyn thought with some confusion. Out loud though, she said, "Good, I'm glad to hear it." Feeling as if she might be too overprotective, she smiled sheepishly. "You must think I'm overbearing, saying all this all of a sudden."

A look of surprise crossed Wil's face. "What? No, not at all! I can understand--you're always watching over her, right? Since she's your closest friend?" He laughed. "Besides, that's like you, Lyndis. You're always watching over everyone."

Embarrassed now, Lyn tried to laugh away his words. "I can't help it. I just want to make sure everybody's all right. Anyway, I'm not sure if I've said this before, but call me Lyn."

"You're changing the subject," Wil chided, his laughter like a stream. In mock frustration Lyn swatted at him, but he stepped out of the way of her blow before stumbling over an upraised stone. His shoulder bumped against a passing woman's arm as he fought to regain his balance, and the woman dropped her basket of vegetables onto the street, with a few of them tumbling out over the stones.

"Ah! Look at what you did! If you must play around, do it elsewhere!" the woman shouted. Very embarrassed now, Lyn helped Wil pick up the scattered goods and put them back into the basket. Afterwards, Wil picked it up and handed it to the woman.

"We're really sorry about this," he said. "This is fine, right?"

The woman huffed as she grabbed the basket. "Well enough, I suppose. Though if you're going to act like children, go do it at the academies like all the rest of them."

"I'm so sorry..." Lyn said, her words trailing off as she realized she was speaking to the woman's departing back. "...Ah. That's too bad. What did she mean about 'academies', though?"

Wil's eyes seemed to light up after a moment of looking as clueless as she felt. "Oh, I've heard about this. Etruria has schools for studying magic and other subjects."

"Oh?" She nodded, more to herself than anything else. "That's interesting. Have you ever been here before?"

"No, I once traveled around for a bit with a wandering scholar when I was first traveling around Lycia. He was from Etruria or passed through Etruria or something like that, I don't remember. He didn't really look Etrurian, though." Suddenly he looked past Lyn before smiling. "Hi, Florina!"

Lyn turned around, smiling at her blushing friend. "There you are. You weren't standing here long, were you?"

"N-no, not really," Florina said, her puffy hair flying about as she shook her head.

"Oh." Studying her friend, Lyn came to a decision. "Well, I want to see one of these academies that lady mentioned, unless there's something you want to do?"

"I, um, still need to register, but I don't know where the pegasus knight brigade office is here..."

" 'Cause this town's so big, right?" Wil commented. "Why don't we head towards the academies, and if we see the office we'll go there first?"

Florina said nothing, only hiding her face when she nodded. But, Lyn realized, she seemed to be happy when she did raise her head, smiling in that shy way that showed her agreement more than any amount of gestures did. That made Lyn feel relieved; Wil was right after all. Instead of delaying any further and potentially embarrassing her friend, Lyn pointed at one of the strange-looking buildings further up the road. "Could that be one of them?"

"Let's go find out!" Wil announced, drawing a weird look or two from the passerby. With Florina on one side of Lyn and Wil on the other, they began to walk. Lyn thought it was kind of funny; though Florina tended to walk a step or two behind others and both Lyn and Wil had longer strides--though both very different in movement--they somehow managed to find a pace where everyone could walk side-by-side. Up the hilly street they went, the soles of Lyn's boots scrabbling along the smooth stones and making her fear that she'd have to grab her friends if she made a misstep or else she'd slide down the bottom of the hill in a very humiliating way.

Along the road on this side of the town there were no vegetable or fruit sellers, only shops that sold a very different fare than what Lyn was used to seeing. The signs that hung outside their doors had nothing to do with weapons or curatives, but through some of the large windows she could guess at their type of business. A few windows here and there revealed lots of bookcases. Another had dolls on display with tiny but elaborate dresses, skin made out of something white and glossy, and colored glass eyes with long eyelashes. They also had hair, usually in taut curls and spirals tied with ribbons that matched their dresses. "Is that a doll?" Lyn asked, tilting her head one way and another. She didn't know why, but it seemed as if the doll's eyes were following her.

"It looks almost real," Florina mumbled, "but also not."

"Look at that price tag on that one with pink hair," Wil said, pointing at the one he described. They looked, and then gasped.

"It can't be! That's almost as much as...you could buy two--no, three Killer-type weapons for that much!" Lyn cried out. Backing away from the window (and the eyes), she shook her head. "Let's keep going." Her friends followed her just as quickly.

As they continued up the road, it suddenly widened into a large area littered with shops where the smell of food escaped whenever one of their doors was open, another fountain in the center, and a great building where people their age seemed to be constantly going in and out of without hesitation. Having never seen a building of either that scale or intricate detail before, Lyn stopped. She couldn't begin to describe it, not when she had such a lack of words to do it in; Sacaeans had about twenty words to describe wind, but only a couple to comment on any building that was not a ger. It made her feel a little inadequate, seeing such a sight but unable to go into more depth than 'it was large' and 'it was crafted out of some sort of brown rock.' The bottom part of the building seemed to be held up by pillars of that same brown rock, so it was easy to see even more students milling about within it. The students themselves were all wearing long red robes trimmed with many different colors; it was obviously some sort of code, as not everyone wore the same colors, but for the life of her Lyn couldn't figure it out.

" 'Edounis Magic Academy,'" Wil said, reading off of the metal plaque in front of the fountain. " 'Donated by the Count of Aldebry, 764 AS. For She the Voice of God said, 'Let the Keys of Heaven rest in the hands of Humanity,' so we shall let the Keys of Knowledge rest in the hands of our Youth.'"

"Voice of God?" Lyn wondered out loud. "What is that?"

Wil looked up from the plaque. "Saint Elimine, I think."

"Oh, right." _The Elimineans believe there is only one god_, she had to remind herself. She turned to see that Florina was looking at the students with a look of concentration on her face. "What is it?"

"Their robes...I think they're marked by their year. In Ilia, we have something like that for the pegasus knights." There was a small smile on Florina's face as she continued with, "And look, some of them are our age but don't wear those robes. They might be, um, visitors. Or maybe they don't live at the school."

"Hm...I think you're right." Looking around, Lyn started to smile. "That's why I keep putting you at point. You're much better at observing and coming up with answers than I am."

Florina's eyes widened. "Really?" Lyn laughed as she patted down a flyaway lock of her friend's hair.

"Of course. A Sacaean never lies, right?"

Lyn happened to look up from Florina's very happy face just in time to see a student with no uniform robes walk past, longish locks of dark purple hair obscuring his profile. She had an idea who it could be, though, and she called out, "Erk? Erk, is that you?"

The student turned, surprise touching his fine, delicate features. "Lady Lyndis?"

"It is you!" In pure joy and relief, Lyn jogged up to him. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Likewise," Erk replied. He looked past her shoulder as she heard Wil approach behind her, then back to her. "Where are the others?"

"Kent's making sure Sain doesn't get into too much trouble with his flirting," Lyn answered with a smile and a feeling of dread. She was waiting for him to ask about Mark, but after a moment of staring at her with his sharp gaze, his mouth formed a thin line and he only nodded in response. "So, what are you doing here? Do you go to that academy?"

Erk shook his head. "I was intending to go home, but when I learned that my teacher's predecessor was giving a series of lectures on recent advances in the analysis of sigil structures and how combining what we now know with the invocation-evocation theory will shape magic usage in the coming generation, I decided to delay my arrival."

Lyn wasn't sure what to say, and Florina said nothing at all. Wil wasn't much better. "Wow, I...don't even know what you just said," he commented, laughter punctuating his statement. Erk's expression, neutral as it was, didn't change.

"Yes, it's complicated. I hope my teacher will help clarify some points for me." After staring at them a little longer, Erk frowned. "The series of lectures ended today, so I was planning to get some rest and head home tomorrow. I would like to invite you to come with me."

"Is it all right?" asked Lyn, surprised by the offer. "Wouldn't your parents mind?"

"My...oh, no, I live with my teacher and his wife." There was an odd expression that flickered across Erk's face, but Lyn wasn't sure what it meant. "They surely won't mind in the least, but if it'll put you more at ease I'll send a letter ahead. They live only a few hours away by carriage."

_It seems fate is giving us the reprieve we need_, Lyn thought as she glanced at Florina and Wil's faces. Their happiness was her own as well, and she smiled widely at Erk. "I don't know how to repay you for this."

Erk smiled, a slight upturn of the lips that made her wish he smiled more often; he was usually dour and solitary when they had all traveled together not so long ago. "Lady Lyndis, after you willingly let yourself face certain danger in order to allow us to escape, this is hardly anything in comparison."

-0-

As Lyn came to find out, carriages were boxes on wheels with small windows and stale air that seemed to run over everything that would cause it to bounce, wobble, and otherwise ruin what would be a smooth ride. The fact that it was so small made her feel cramped, though she was able to control how she felt by staring out of the window at the overcast sky and remembering the night before. Sain had decided they needed to have both a reunion party as well as an early celebration for his upcoming affinity cycle renewal, despite the fact that they had no money. This point had failed to matter.

"We don't need gold to have a good time at a tavern, milady!" Sain had said. Lyn had frowned.

"How do you figure that?"

"Easy! Observe a master at work!" And Sain, with help from Wil, had proceeded to shamelessly charm other groups into letting them join and share in their drink at three different places. At the third place someone had recognized them as people who didn't pay their own way, and the ensuing fight had effectively ended the night as they fled under the cover of darkness.

And in the end, she still thought that chigee, horse milk wine, had a far better flavor. The brews Sain had complimented were like bad-tasting water to her tongue.

Throughout the ride to the Reglay region, which Erk had said was just north of Aquleia and surrounded by many rivers, Wil slept beside her and Erk sat across from them and read a book. The day was overcast and the scenery more of the same, grassy hills and the occasional village. It was strange to be in Aquleia one day and out into the country the next; the two were almost complete opposites. It was fascinating, in a sense, to be able to travel like the birds did; with the exception of Rath, she couldn't think of many other Sacaeans who had left the plains, much less did so out of a sense of exploration. And the more she saw of the world outside of her home, the more she compared the two.

It made her want to return.

Returning, though, had its own problems. Once she returned to Sacae, the only way she could move forward in her life would be to destroy the Taliver, and after her failure in Caelin she knew that she wasn't strong enough yet. It was her hope that the travels she had now would grant her the strength to crush those who had brutally slain her tribe, but she wondered how she could find that strength in a land like Etruria. There had to be a way, but she couldn't see it just yet.

She had to find it, and soon. How many others would have to suffer the Taliver bandits' wrath before she avenged her family? How much longer could she bear the burdens thrust upon her by the remnants of her people, who had abandoned their pride as Lorca to seek a meager living in Bulgar?

Soon. It had to be soon for everyone's sake.

It had to be soon for her sake.

She was dozing when she felt the carriage jerk to a stop, and she wasn't quite awake until they had left the carriage and were all standing before the biggest house she had ever seen. She was sure it wasn't a castle because it didn't resemble one, but it was easily as large as a castle. The grounds were filled with yellow flowers as bright as the sun. They were only standing before the house for a moment before men came to take the horses and Florina's pegasus, and it was only after the steeds were being led away--Huey somewhat reluctantly from an even more reluctant Florina--when Erk put his book into his satchel and nodded. "If you'll follow me."

"This is where your teacher lives?" Lyn couldn't help but ask. She couldn't imagine why two or three people needed such a huge house.

"Yes," Erk said, not turning around to face any of them. "My teacher is Lord Pent, Etruria's mage general."

"Mage general?" Kent said. When Lyn glanced at him, she noticed that there was a disquieting amount of surprise on his face. "Etruria's Duke Reglay?"

Lyn looked around. Kent, Sain, and Florina all had varying amounts of surprise as their expressions. Erk wasn't turning around, and Wil only looked confused. "Wait," she said, "what's all this about? Is he an important person?"

"He's one of the most important nobles in all of Etruria, as far as I know," Kent answered. "As a duke, it is assumed that he has been formally recognized by the king as an asset in the military. Among the titles that can be granted by the king, a duke is the most prominent in rank, and therefore the most rare."

"I think I get it," Wil commented, "but does that mean he's even more powerful than a Lycian marquess?"

Kent closed his eyes. "I don't believe Etruria has marquesses, so I can't say for certain. However, as Etruria is a far more powerful country than Lycia, I would say so, yes."

"Hmm, that's uncomfortable." Sain sighed, crossing his arms. "Even if I am a first-rank knight, I would never have expected to meet an actual duke in my life."

"Yeah. I don't even know what to say to a marquess, and now we're meeting someone even more powerful than someone like Marquess Pherae?" Wil added.

_I don't know how to act like a lady_, Lyn could only think. _I was never able to learn how...so to hear this, all of a sudden..._

"You don't need to worry," Erk's quiet voice drifted to them. He turned to face them, his expression as neutral as ever. "Once you meet my teacher and his wife, you'll see why there's no reason to be uncomfortable."

"If you say so, we'll believe you," said Lyn. "We're just surprised, that's all."

"Right, exactly," Sain agreed. "I would've expected to see a castle rather than a manor, for one."

Erk frowned at that. "This is the summer house, though more and more often they've taken to staying here year-round because it's closer to Aquleia." He began to walk again, and they followed him up to the front steps. Even the door was grand, a dark wood that contrasted with the cream color of the rest of the manor. The doors were opened as soon as Erk reached them and they all entered. Lyn hated her limited vocabulary, because the best she could come up with was that it was extremely bright and clean. What she noticed most was that there were double staircases a little ways before them which led to another floor, and that there was a woman in modest dress standing before them.

"Master Erk, welcome back." She held out her arms, and Erk unhooked his cloak and handed it to her.

"You received my letter?"

"Yes. All the rooms have been prepared at Milady's pleasure."

"Oh." Lyn, who was watching what she assumed was a servant and Erk interact, noticed the strange flicker of emotion on Erk's face. "Where is Lady Louise?"

"She returned some time before you yourself did, from midmorning tea with Countess Caerleon. I believe I last saw her with Catherine in the kitchen gardens."

"Hm. Then, what about--"

"Ah! Erk, is that you?"

Lyn turned--they all did. The voice that had just spoken had just sounded so..._happy_. The woman who was coming in from the right part of the manor seemed to all but float towards Erk in her layered dress. For his part, Erk looked distressed, especially when the woman reached out with her gloved hands and began straightening out his sleeves in a display that was surprisingly motherly for such a young-looking woman. "It's wonderful to see you again! I was beginning to worry when your mission seemed to take more time than expected, but Lord Pent was always quick to assure me that he had full confidence in your skills," she said, her voice very sweet and warm.

Erk looked away, his face tinged with red. "He--he said that?" he asked, which Lyn thought was weird; he seemed more focused on his teacher than he was in this very motherly woman.

"Of course he did. I know I should've had more faith, but I can't help but worry." She finished straightening his clothes and stepped back. "But once I heard that you were bringing friends over, you don't know how relieved I was! You've never brought friends over before." She glanced at them, and Lyn couldn't help but stand up a little straighter when the woman's eyes fell on her. "My," she started, her gaze lingering on Lyn, "and what interesting friends you've invited! My name is Louise, and I would be honored if you stayed a while. Oh, that reminds me. Abigail," she turned to look at the servant who had been standing there without comment, "where is my husband?"

"He left his study shortly after you left and seemed quite disappointed to hear that you were gone, milady. Currently he is looking over the reports from the palace in his office." Abigail paused. "Shall I let him know guests have arrived?"

"No, I'll do it. I haven't seen him in such a long time. Instead, please prepare tea for our guests."

"As you wish, milady."

"Meanwhile," Louise smiled at them, "Erk, please take your friends to the parlor. Lord Pent and I will be there presently." With that, she gracefully left.

The entire group was quiet even after Louise had left. Finally, Erk cleared his throat. "It's this way."

Lyn turned to face Sain, who was staring after the departed Louise with complex emotions playing over his face. "Sain," she started, patting him on the arm, "thank you for not confessing your undying love or praising her beauty. I've underestimated your willpower."

"Lady Lyndis," he said, a sense of mourning in his tone, "although your words of praise and the touch you've bestowed upon me are bounties I could only dream of before, now they only twist the dagger that has been thrust inside my heart, cruelly, without hesitation! Who would've ever known that I, a mere follower of the ways of love, could be struck so profoundly by a woman who has been promised to another!"

"Well, that's..." Sighing inwardly, Lyn patted him again. "Sain, at a time like this you can only keep being strong. I'm counting on you."

"Milady, you would only ask of me what I can give," he said, turning to face her as he took her hand in both of his. She gave him a look, but he had conveniently lowered his head. "Forgive me, for until now I have failed to see the overwhelming love you hold for someone as unworthy as myself. And--"

"Sain," said Kent, his voice very quiet.

He sighed. "Yes, yes, of course. Lady Lyndis, your humble servant now must depart." Letting go of her hand, he and Kent began to follow what looked like a very irritated Erk to the parlor room. After a moment, Lyn began to follow with Florina and Wil by her side.

"You know, I kind of envy Sain," Wil said. "It must be nice to live in a constant dream world."

Florina giggled, so quiet that there was no way Wil could've heard, but Lyn smiled to let Florina know and laughed inwardly as her friend hid her blushing face with her hair.

-0-

In comparison to his wife, Lord Pent (somehow, Lyn had the feeling that an honorific fit him more than Louise) was more quietly personable and friendly. He was also a perfect match for his wife's beauty, and she thought that she had heard Sain's heart crack in two at the shock when the husband and wife entered the room. With the both of them together, Lyn had a hard time figuring out how they were as separate people; Louise became calmer, but Lord Pent seemed to have a sort of...playfulness that she wasn't sure was a natural trait of his. All she knew was, as everyone sat in various seats placed around the room and she told her story--no, the story of all her companions--they wore twin expressions of compassion that she greatly appreciated.

"I see," Lord Pent said after she finished speaking. "You have faced many harrowing trials to reach this point. Have you given any further thought to where you will go now?"

Lyn hesitated; she hadn't talked about it with her friends yet and was unsure how they'd see her ultimate goal, never mind that Kent and Sain had already vowed to come with her at that time. "Eventually, I intend to return to Sacae. For now, though, I would like some time to rest and think." Her gaze flickered towards the faces of her friends before returning to Lord Pent's pleasantly neutral face. "I think we could all use that."

His expression softened as he turned towards his wife. "Louise, you've already had the rooms prepared while I was preparing my research, correct?"

"Of course," was her reply. "Because anyone Erk calls his friend is ours as well."

"Yes, that's true." Lord Pent turned to the rest of them. "If you desire a place to rest, we would be happy to have you stay here for as long as you like."

Sharing surprised glances with the others, Lyn sat up straighter in her chair. "Is it really all right?" she asked. "Won't we be in the way?"

"Not at all! It's always better to have more people around," Louise said. "After everything you've gone through, our offer may not be enough, but we'd like to help if we can."

_After everything...it would be wrong not to accept hospitality when it's offered, right?_

Lyn paused, then smiled. "Well, why not?"

-to be continued-

So, Fridays are even worse than Thursdays. Since the next chapter will be in a different format that should be easier for me to make time adjustments around, I'm going to try next Wednesday, the 5th, and see how that goes. I'm very sorry for all this jostling around...maybe this story is cursed?

I never got around to reaching any of the Etruria parts of FE6, so I'm just taking potshots with the description of Aquleia and such. Also, the title refers to the full titles of Pent and Louise from the artbook (and reduced in the ending probably for space constrictions), Mage General of Silver and Lady of Golden Violets. Finally, my pet peeve for FE7 is the amazing inability for the translation to get their noble title right; they are Duke and Duchess Reglay. Count is off, though at least the first kanji is the same, and marquess/marchioness is flat out wrong.

Thank you for putting up with all this, and see you next chapter!


	9. 07x Haven

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

07x. Haven

-By Your Side-

Ever since she was a young girl, Louise had always known that, if she could not be true to her own heart, then she would amount to little more than a statue, an ever-smiling _objet d'art_ with no purpose aside from being that whom others would do unto, never to be the one to affect others in turn. Her instinctive dislike of such a fate was cultivated by her dear, idealistic parents, who were noble in name but considered eccentrics by Etrurian society--particularly once she grew of an age to be shown at events. What society saw after that time was a girl without the retiring nature appropriate to a noblewoman, a girl who smiled brightly without reservation, asked impolite questions merely to satisfy her own curiosity, and proudly bared hands hardened by calluses from her vulgar play. However, the words of disdain by noblewomen with daughters of comparable age were mostly stymied due to two factors: her relation, however distant, to Etrurian and Bernese royalty, as well as the fact that one could hardly expect better from country nobles. In this way she had been cultivated into becoming a most odd noblewoman, one who knew she was set apart from society as a whole but with no real reason to change, not when her dear parents were so proud of her. And when the time came for her to consider marriage, what else could she do but show her true heart, even as she knew it would be the opposite of everything that was considered right about being a lady?

Nearly ten years after that fateful day, she smiled as she clipped off a stem full of bright lavender flowers. As the morning sun began to rise above the horizon, she walked from her personal garden through the kitchen gardens and into the kitchen proper, where the maids on cooking duty were busy preparing breakfast for Erk and his friends before they came inside from their morning practice. Fresh bread, tiny jars of several varieties of jam, and a teapot and two cups, along with all the regular dining implements, had already been arranged by her earlier on a breakfast tray; at the corner of the tray stood a small vase, made of the same porcelain as the rest of the delicate china, looked out of place until she placed the lavender sprig inside. With a small sound of delight, she picked up the tray and left the kitchen, her footsteps soft as she walked along the hallway, through the foyer and into the west wing, before finally arriving in front of her husband's office door. Adjusting her hold of the tray with one hand, she knocked twice on the door with the other. "Lord Pent, breakfast!" she announced, before simply letting herself in. The only time she knew she was absolutely not to disturb him was when he was in his private study, not because it would upset him--he was very even-tempered--but because it did hurt to be ignored when he was deep in his research, no matter if she knew he hardly meant to do it on purpose.

He was sitting behind his desk and going through the various correspondences and reports that had piled up while he was absorbed in his latest round of studies when she entered, looking up as she approached his desk. "Good morning, Louise," he said with that smile that always lightened her heart to see it. Shyly, feeling as though she was but a blushing maiden all over again, she returned his smile.

"Good morning, Lord Pent. You look very well-rested today. I trust you slept well?" There was something else she wanted to add, something to tease him with, but instead she decided it would be best to hold onto the thought for now and went about pouring the tea, a curious lavender blend she had received from Baroness Donner, before placing a cup in front of him.

"Yes, I did," he replied, taking a sip of tea. He then blinked, studying the breakfast tray arrangement with some amusement before taking another sip. "So that explains today's flower. Will you sit with me for a while?"

Her smile widened, and she began to pour a second cup for herself. For some time there was silence as he cleared the area before him of his paperwork as she set up their breakfast before taking a seat across from him. Finally, as they began to eat, Louise asked in a casual voice, "May I ask what the concentric values theory is, dear?"

"It's a chart for establishing the relationship between the three great animistic elements," he answered promptly. It took him another minute to meet her laughing gaze with a sheepish look. "I was talking in my sleep again, wasn't I?"

Louise only giggled behind her hand. As a woman with considerable quirks, it wouldn't have done for her to marry someone who had none of his own and therefore lacked the means to understand hers. Perhaps it was due to her husband's drive in his research, locked up within his study with no one with whom he could share his ideas, but the result ended up being that he would frequently talk in his sleep in the days after he left his study. She never minded; after days where it was all she could do to keep busy so as to not think about the fact that they were living in the same house but were more or less separated, it was a relief just to listen to his voice and know that he was with her again.

Her husband looked somewhat chagrined when she looked at him again, but instead of continuing the current topic he picked up one of the envelopes in which his correspondence had arrived. "Some of these invitations are already past their dates. I trust you've already taken care of them?"

"Yes. I've visited with most of them and sent apologies to the rest."

"I see. But this one from Countess Caerleon is yours, isn't it?"

"Nella was interested in seeing the both of us, but it was for the best that I went alone," Louise stated, unwilling to explain further.

Her husband normally possessed an astute eye for detecting her mood and responding in kind, but he was preoccupied with his breakfast as he asked, "Why is that?"

She pursed her lips, her appetite waning. "It seems she is having a bit of trouble with her daughter. The girl apparently is listless and troubled by matters unknown to even her personal attendant, so Nella needed someone to confide to and perhaps provide insight and advice."

"Hm. What advice did you give?"

"I said nothing at all." It was a nervous habit of Louise's to fold her hands in her lap and twist her fingers around each other; in the right place, she could channel such tension where it was hidden and keep speaking with a clear voice and an untroubled face. She did it now as she pieced her thoughts together before continuing. "Because I felt it was not the place for a childless woman to give advice to a mother."

He looked up at her then, his expression difficult for even her to read. "Louise..." was all he could say, his voice clouded with concern, before she shook her head.

"We've already discussed that enough over the years, Lord Pent. Shall we leave that topic in the hands of the blessed saint?"

Sometimes she felt it was a shame that she had grown to understand her husband's feelings so well, a result of her taking seriously the romantic notion that his stormy blue eyes were the mirror to his innermost thoughts. In reality, such study only revealed how expressive he allowed himself to be with her; rather, three years of courtship following their betrothal and nearly six years of marriage had given her the experience necessary to see the uncharacteristic indecision that lingered in his narrowed eyes, and her heart felt heavy when he nodded once. "As you wish," he said, his tone unnaturally neutral, before he returned his attention to his breakfast. The loss of her appetite gave Louise little else to do but to grip her hands even more tightly than before.

There was nothing to be said that hadn't already been said by either them or society. An heir was vital, and even people as eccentric as themselves were not so far removed from the way the world worked to deny that. And after five years...

A cough from the other side of the desk distracted her from her thoughts. "Lord Pent?"

"I would like to ask your opinion on a request I received." She tilted her head, a gesture of interest; his expression was normal once again. "Lyndis asked me yesterday if I knew a way for her to become stronger. I had a suggestion in mind, but I was curious as to what you would say."

"Well..." Her throat suddenly dry, Louise took a sip of her now cold tea. "In which way does she wish to gain this strength?"

"By fighting, it seems."

Louise said nothing for a long moment as she thought, and when she came to a conclusion she had to struggle to keep her own expression mild. "Lord Pent, you can't mean to have her become the Reglay arena fighter, do you?"

"I do," he said evenly. "Do you disagree?"

"I...think it is a very sad thing if she would agree so readily to that," she answered, careful in her words. However, it seemed that her husband was capable of understanding her true thoughts, because he only nodded.

"Our feelings are the same, of course. But I detected a certain desperation from her that worries me more. It seems that she is set on her course, whatever that is, and it would be best if she were adequately prepared." He finished his own cup of tea, and Louise stood and poured another cup for him. "That, I feel, would be best."

She nodded once. "As you say." As her husband had finished his breakfast, Louise moved to collect the dishes and place them on the tray, leaving the teapot as she usually did. She was about to pick up the tray when he reached over and held one of her hands in his. Not surprised, she merely lifted her gaze to his, curling her lips into a smile at his earnest expression.

"Louise, what do you intend to do today?" he asked as he rubbed slow circles onto the back of her hand with his thumb.

She grinned, pushing some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I've no appointments, so I was planning to do some gardening until lunchtime, and then archery in the afternoon like always. Why?"

"I thought we could have lunch together. Perhaps out by your garden? I'm curious to see if your roses turned out better than they did last year."

"That's unkind, dear," she said in an exaggerated huff. "And of course I can't agree to that. I'll be filthy, so we'd have to have lunch only after I clean up, and you have plenty of work to do to bother with that and--would you please stop laughing?"

He did laugh then, a rich sound that washed away all her worries. "Right, of course," he said, before kissing the back of her hand, "I'll see you then."

Louise looked at her husband, his playful smile, his affectionate gaze, the firm but gentle grip in which he held her hand, and wondered dimly how any trouble could affect her more than temporarily so long as he was by her side.

-Two Knights-

In the back of his mind, Kent had noted a presence behind him but idly brushed it aside as he studied the game board in front of him. After a few moments, he picked up his remaining pegasus knight and placed it within attacking distance from Erk's lord. "Check," he stated.

Frowning, Erk seemed indecisive about which move he would play next. Kent, who knew his position was too strong, waited patiently; ever since he had seen through Erk's sacrificial armor knight and put his own archer into play, the game had been his to lose. Ever since the first week of their stay, they would play at least one game every couple of days after Kent's morning training, occasionally drawing Sain, whose style of play was unpredictable at best; Wil, who cheerfully played even though he had never won a game; and Lord Pent, whom Kent could not win against. But for the most part, the games were between himself and Erk, a novice player with great knowledge of book rules but the inability to break away from them. As the ability to play was critical for a knight in order to form proper analysis of real-life situations, Kent had learned to play ever since he was young and considered himself to be fairly skilled.

The presence behind him was beginning to bother him now that it was no longer his turn, and he turned his head. Florina stood at the entrance to the parlor room, her hands drawn up to her mouth in a way that could only be described as 'mouse-like.' "Florina," Kent started, unsure if it was best he said anything at all, "would you like to sit down?"

"She can play next. I forfeit," Erk announced, rising from his seat before offering his hand, which Kent shook. "Good game, as usual."

"Yes." When Erk left the room, Kent gestured to the now empty chair across the table. "Would you like to play?"

She lowered her head. "I-is it really okay?"

"Yes, of course," he answered as he began to replace the pieces onto the game board. There was only the sound of the clock ticking away; at the fifteenth tick, Florina walked over to the empty seat and gathered the white pieces for her side. He noticed that she knew each piece's proper place: working her way inward, she placed a pegasus knight, cavalier and bishop on either side of the lord and lady on the first row, and on the second row there stood an archer on either end of a row of armor knights. He had heard there were other variations that placed swordmasters, wyvern riders or magic users, or even replaced other units for them, but in this day and age the board they had now was the most popular in use.

"You already know how to play, correct?" he asked as a matter of formality. Regardless, she nodded. "You can have white."

With a soft sound of assent, she began. After a few moves, he realized that she was playing a classic Bern defense, so named because it used armor knights and cavaliers chiefly in a tight defense as if they were high cliffs, while her pegasus knights were to be played as her main attack pieces with her bishops in support. He looked at his own strategy, the Etrurian defense, which mobilized cavaliers and bishops as attackers with armor knights as support and protection, and wondered if they were going to reenact one of the many Bern-Etruria wars. "You play very well," he couldn't help but comment, amazed by her efficiency in establishing her line; it was as if she had played enough games to have a favorite mode of attack. "It's rare these days to see the Bern defense used."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his, and then she quickly shook her head. "I...is that what it's called?" she murmured, moving one of her archers to support the front of her defense.

"You did not know that?" he said, so surprised he had to pause and study the board. "It seems you've been going by the book, though."

She said nothing for several ticks, then shook her head more slowly than the last time. "Book? Um...no, I've never looked at a book for this game..."

Finally he moved an armor knight forward, though the idea that Florina might be a prodigy was a sobering thought that made him want to analyze every move even more carefully. "May I ask who taught you how to play?"

"My eldest sister," she answered promptly, her tone cheerful and light. "We used to play when we were younger, especially during the winter."

"Why then, if I may ask?"

Immediately Kent could tell that he had said the wrong thing, as Florina seemed to shrink into herself, her shoulders hunched. "Um...so...so we could forget how, um, hungry we were."

Mentally flinching, he lowered his head in apology. "Forgive me for my impertinence. I should not have asked."

"Well, um...you couldn't have known. I-I don't mind answering...since we're comrades." She smiled in a very tentative fashion. "My other sister...she said that most people don't care about Ilians, so, um, I never expected anyone to really ask about that."

It was the most she had ever said to him, and hearing her soft voice as she tried to explain herself made him feel a certain sense of empathy for her. "I see," he replied. "If you would not mind, I would not be opposed to hearing more."

"O-okay." There was silence within the parlor room, save for the tall, stately clock as it sounded out each second. "What would you like to know?"

"You spoke of having sisters. Do you have other family members?"

"Um...well, I used to. It was..." He watched her face, never mind that she was hiding most of it behind her long hair. "My father died before I could remember him. Fiora...she said that he caught something because, um, a pegasus knight brought back a sickness and it spread, so...they put all the sick people in quarantine, and most of them died sick. And then, our mother grew weak, especially after Fiora left for training, and when the famine happened she...she, um..." Florina's voice sounded faraway, as if she were relating a story that had nothing to do with herself. "She starved to death."

There was nothing Kent could say.

She shook her head. "Afterwards, Farina would...well, sometimes she'd steal rations from other people, even though everyone was suffering. But she said that it was okay because we had to survive. And then Fiora came back, and she decided to stay and take care of us, just like before when Mother was alive, and she'd get into lots of fights with Farina because of the stealing. Even after the famine they'd always fight, until last year Farina left for good. And I don't know if I'll see her again because she's a pegasus knight. But, um..." She glanced up at him and offered a small smile. "I really love my sisters, so I'm really trying to think that everything will be okay."

Her voice was strong, hopeful, and Kent could only agree with her. "I pray that it will be so."

"I, um..." He could see the beginnings of a smile on her face before she covered her mouth with a small hand. "I'm sorry...I talked a lot..."

"I didn't mind," he said, quick to reassure her. "You should feel free to talk when you like."

A small giggle escaped from behind her hand. "That's...that's what Wil said. But, um..." She looked away from him, her face flushed red. "I think...maybe it's easier to talk to you..."

"Why is that?"

"Um, you...you're like Fiora, kind of. So it's easier."

He could only give her a confused look. "Considering what you've just said regarding your...eldest sister, I believe, I would think that it would be difficult at best to compare someone like myself to someone of such obviously exemplary character."

Florina smiled directly at him, a first. "She says things like that, too. She...if you met her, I think you'd see."

"Very well. I'll look forward to that day." Gesturing to the board, he returned her smile. "I believe it's your move."

"O-okay," she said, her usual shyness reasserting itself. However, Kent could detect a certain amount of ease from her as they continued their game in silence.

-The Perfect Support-

"Master Wil, you needn't feel obligated to help me..."

Wil laughed, then immediately wished he hadn't when his grip on the large, heavy sculpture began to loosen. "Don't worry, don't worry! Um, where should I put this?"

"Um, there," the maid--he thought her name was Claire, but since he wasn't sure that was really her name he just wasn't going to call her that--said, pointing to a pillar beside one of the staircases in the foyer. Gathering up his strength, Wil hefted the statue onto the pillar. His arms and lower back felt sore, but it was a good soreness, the kind that really made him feel as if he'd done something useful. And he was sure he did, because that poor maid was struggling with such a heavy statue. It wouldn't do not to help such a cute lady!

_Huh?_ Wil thought, genuinely confused. _I must be hanging around Sain too much. If only Lyndis was around more..._

"Master Wil?"

"It's just Wil," he corrected, suddenly nervous. He'd never thought that one day anyone would be putting titles next to his name. It just...sounded weird, was all. "What is it? Do you need me to move anything else?"

"I, uh, no." She bowed her head. "You've been so helpful to all of us for the last two weeks. Even though you're a guest, still..."

"No, no, it's really nothing! It's just..." Embarrassed, he looked around him, where wealth surrounded him from the statues and pillars to the marble floor and gold-accented staircases. Even the maid was a symbol of wealth, and all of it made him feel really uncomfortable. Even when he was wandering around trying to make lots of money to send home, he'd never imagined that wealth could be so...wealthy. "Well, I mean, there's not too much to do, and even though there's lots of you working, it just doesn't seem right to just sit around and assume that you'll do everything."

The maid laughed quietly behind her hands. "That _is_ our job. But, you said you were bored?"

"Well, I mean, I don't mean that as an insult, I just like to be useful."

"Ah." She was smiling at him, which made him feel a bit better. "You're an archer, correct? There's an archery range out past the gardens."

"Really?" Excitedly, he went to the archery range after picking up his bow and quiver from his room. When he reached it, he could only stare in surprise at the long row of targets. "Wow, that's big," he mumbled. "Are all ranges like this one?" Back in the village he'd once called home, there wasn't anything like this. He used to shoot at trees with makeshift targets--usually wood carvings, which was really stupid because hey, wood on wood?--until he was good enough to hunt, and after that he used to go hunting with Dan.

He frowned at the name, his good cheer washed away by a wave of bitterness. Thinking about his once-best friend's name always did that after Dan decided to give up on their big journey.

"My! I didn't expect to see anyone here! Hello!"

Wil turned to look behind him, his eyes widening when he saw who was coming up from the path. "L-Lady Louise?"

"Please, call me Louise," she said in a bright tone, smiling as she tugged at the end of the loose braid that hung over her shoulder. Her clothes were not the really elaborate and shiny dresses he sometimes glimpsed before she left to go visit some noble or another, but rather a simpler, form-fitting outfit that most young women who were not Lyndis wore. Except--and this made him feel really bad, all things considering--Louise looked really good in them. He could understand why Sain angsted in verse now.

"O-okay," he said, determined not to sound weird about things. Instead, he pointed at the bow she had slung over her shoulder and asked, "So, you're an archer too, Louise?"

She nodded, looking really happy that he'd mentioned it. That made him feel better and he smiled back. "It's so nice to find another archer. It's rare for me to find more people like us!"

"Really?" Thinking about this, he slowly began to nod. "I guess there aren't many nobles who're into archery, huh?"

"No, unfortunately," she said, a wistful expression on her face for a moment before she perked up. "But now there's you. Why don't we shoot together? I'd like to see how our styles differ."

"That sounds like fun," he replied honestly. Reaching for his quiver, he paused when a thought occurred to him. "Is this a contest, or are we just shooting for fun?" If it were a contest, he didn't know whether he should try his hardest or not since he had no idea what her skill level was. He figured it'd be kind of tacky to act merciless, especially because she was so nice in letting him and his friends stay with her.

"Well, I'd like to be more leisurely..." Nocking an arrow, she aimed for the first target in the row. "I don't practice merely for fun, you see, but it's sometimes the only time during the day when I can truly relax."

_That's what she says, but her face..._ Wil thought, surprised at the sudden change in her. There was this fierce determination that hardened her face as she glared forward. Suddenly, the arrow flew, and his amazement grew when it seemed to appear just as suddenly right in the center of the red. "Wow, you're really good," he remarked, sorry that he'd doubted her skill earlier. "Have you been practicing long? Oh, you don't have to take your arrow out. It's fine."

She stopped and turned to look at him, her expression doubtful. "Are you sure? Won't it get in your way?"

"No," he cheerfully announced. "I haven't done this in a while, and anyway, sometimes I'm really good and sometimes I probably won't even hit the target!" They laughed, and as he nocked his arrow he continued with, "I'm really just kind of average, you know?" Letting the arrow fly, he smirked when he saw his arrow also sink into the red part, though it wasn't as perfect a shot as hers.

"But it also seems that you're much better than you believe yourself to be," Louise said, smiling. "I believe it says a lot about you that you're even an archer in the first place!"

"Huh...that I don't like getting too close to the battle?"

"Perhaps, but I meant that there was something essential in yourself." She brushed long golden strands of hair from her face, which impressed something upon him; she looked really beautiful and young, but her voice reminded him of the old, kindly storekeeper who would always tell stories to him and Dan whenever they would come in for supplies. He wondered what happened to the old man; when Wil and Dan left, he remembered that the storekeeper wasn't looking too good.

He shook his head to clear his mind of the sudden memory; it was weird to think of the past when he still hadn't achieved what he'd set out for all those years ago. "Oh yeah? Like our personality dictates what we become?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Huh. What're we, then?"

"We're..." There was a small smile on her face, almost like she was shy, as she looked up at him. "We're meant to be the perfect support."

"Hm. Well...I get that archers are always like support units, 'cause it's not safe otherwise, but, uh..." He shrugged, feeling kind of like he was missing something really obvious. "What's it mean to be the perfect support?"

Louise smiled at him, and it reminded him of how he'd seen her smile at Erk, that really motherly way. "I think it means that we should take care of our companions. Not just in combat, although that is a given, but also during the more relaxed times as well. It may mean making sure everyone is in good cheer, or doing as we're told, or even disobeying an order if we find that it would hurt our friends if we obeyed. We're not necessarily meant to be leaders, because our methods might be too subtle for others to pick up on." Drawing an arrow from her quiver, she held it up horizontally. "An arrow isn't quite as flashy as magic, don't you think?"

He laughed at this. "Or a sword." She giggled in response, lowering the hand holding the arrow to cover her mouth.

"You already understand, don't you? You must be trying very hard to help your group whenever possible."

Wil looked towards the first target, his smile still on his face. "You think so?" he asked, feeling sheepish. "I don't know. I kind of feel like I owe it to everyone. I'd been traveling alone for years before I met Lyn and the others, and being with them makes me want to keep everyone together so we can all keep traveling." He laughed, as if it would wipe his words away. "It's really selfish, but I...now that we don't have to be afraid of our lives or anything, I'm having a lot of fun. Ever since I met up with all of them, I've been having fun. So I don't want to stop."

Her giggle was louder than the last. "You're really a nice boy, aren't you? I'm sure everyone appreciates what you do for them."

_I hope so_, he thought, feeling both embarrassed and a little happy. '_Cause this now is a lot better than being alone._

-What the Maid Overheard From Down the Hall-

"I wish you would stop harassing the maids. It's shameful and does us all a dishonor in turn by being acquainted with you."

"Ah! I'm truly wounded by your callous words! This is mere conversation--a subtle understanding that passes between a man and a woman! Not that you would know...for a knight who follows the tradition of chivalry, your education is strangely lacking."

"I would hardly call _that_ subtle."

"...That was an unusually harsh tone, even from you. Ah, I see your worries clearly, you needn't say a thing--it's women troubles!"

"It is about Lady Lyndis."

"Eh? _You_?"

"...What?"

"Hm...ah, no, nothing. I was mistaken. Where is our lovely lady liege, anyway?"

"She is currently resting. She will be leaving for Aquleia tonight with Lord Pent, and will participate in the arena again for the next two days."

"She's working quite hard, isn't she? I've but caught only the briefest of glimpses of her as of late, though she seems the same as usual...wouldn't you say so?"

"...I am not so sure."

"Hmm...there's quite the story behind this, isn't there?"

"This may be nothing more than my imagination, you understand. However, I believe that Sacae will burden her unduly."

"Why's that?"

"Do you never remember any of the promises you make?"

"Hn...it's that unpleasant business, then. Well, we must do our part to aid Lady Lyndis and ease the burden of the sadly departed Lady Madelyn. Or, do you have a specific worry?"

"I...wonder. I have no particular memory to relate, only a feeling that creeps over me when I observe her at swordplay as of late. It must be nothing."

"Are you sure? You're an eternal pessimist, to be sure, but more often than not your premonitions are at least partially founded."

"...No, I believe I was mistaken."

"If you say so. When will we leave, do you know?"

"Less than a fortnight, I believe."

"Ah, that's not enough time to enjoy the pleasures of fair Etruria. Say, why don't we visit Aquleia ourselves, you and I? Ah, and we'll invite Wil--he has potential, I can tell! The three of us can go to one of the taverns on the square and--"

"No."

"Ahh...as always, you are quite the spoilsport."

-A Cheering Crowd-

The crowd cheered. A fierce wind carried it all the way down the rows and into her ears.

Blood sprayed through the air as Lyn sliced through the side of her opponent's neck, coating everything in front of him with a fine mist of crimson.

The crowd cheered in response, just like they did every time she landed a killing blow. They hadn't when she'd started nearly a month ago. Then, they had heckled her, berated her for stepping inside the arena, insulted her for being a woman. And then she began to win, and win, and win.

The clash of metal against metal was like thunder before Lyn pushed off from the foot farthest from the collision of iron and steel, then darted forward and tore open her opponent's belly in a single swipe of her blade. A primal, wounded cry escaped from his mouth as he tried to hold the wound closed, never mind that his entrails were leaking through the places he couldn't keep closed.

The crowd cheered as she watched a man die. All the battles she fought in the arena blurred together, so many ways to kill burned into her mind, and she never turned away from what she could do, what she had done, what she kept on doing. She knew she didn't have the right to turn around. She didn't have the right to be squeamish. If she was going to exact revenge and crush the Taliver beneath her sword, then she had to see just what her sword could do in her hands. It felt disgusting that there were people who enjoyed the death sport, that to them she was nothing more than a performer and they would cheer just as readily if she were to die in the arena, but she could see no other way to grasp the strength she so desperately craved.

As her opponent collapsed without a sound, she flicked her wrist and heard the wind howl as her blade cut through the air and sent blood splattering onto the dirt. It was rare for her to keep her opponent alive. Ever since that horrible time after her tribe was slaughtered, when it was all she could do to struggle alone on the unforgiving plains, she had learned that it was better to kill than be killed.

The crowd cheered. It sounded like death.

-to be continued-

I didn't think I'd get this done in time. Although I had more stories I wanted to write, these cover the pertinent areas well enough.

Writing the Pent/Louise story kind of made me wish I had written a story about them in the vein of SUtOT, except that it would be unapologetically a romance with high society drama. Heh, that might've been interesting. Let's see...canon-wise, Louise laments to their inability to have children in her B support with Guy, though of course that's reversed in the Pent/Louise A support. In FE6, the Klein/Dieck support goes more indepth regarding arena/pitfighters.

In FE6, the Lance/Lot B support has them playing a game that might be a chess analogue, although it has too many unique pieces (unless it has no lord/lady). Since they're also calling out letter-number places, they're either playing it mentally or playing Battleship, I don't know.

Wil's backstory with Dan can be found in the Wil/Dart and Wil/Rebecca supports.

And that's it. See you next chapter!


	10. 08 The Color of Home

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

08. The Color of Home

"Are you sure you wish to leave?" Louise said, her voice soft. Beside her, Lord Pent placed his hand on her shoulder, which she reached up and held in one of her own.

"You've done so much for us, Louise, Lord Pent," Lyn glanced off to the other side of Lord Pent, where Erk stood, and smiled at her one-time companion, "Erk. More than can ever be repaid. Should you ever have need of us, no matter the request, we will come. It may not be much, compared to your kindness, but..."

Louise shook her head, her body turned slightly towards her husband. "That's hardly true. You've been so much fun to have around, as only friends can be." She looked up at Lord Pent and smiled. "Right, dear?"

"Yes, of course," he replied, returning her smile before looking at Lyn in what she considered to be a very kind manner. "Should you ever return to Etruria, remember that you will always be welcome at our home. And, this is yours." He had been holding a bag before, which Lyn had noticed but had been too focused in distracting Sain--who had finally been led away by the others to prepare the mounts for travel--to care about; now, Lord Pent handed it to her. "Your earnings from the arena."

The bag was heavy in her hands--the weight of all those she had killed reduced to coins. "I-I can't accept this," she said, holding the bag out towards Lord Pent. "You've let us live peacefully for the last month. I couldn't take both your hospitality and this money."

A breeze, cool in the early summer morning, swept past them as they stood in front of the manor in silence. Finally, Lord Pent nodded. "Then, I will take half. Would that be a suitable compromise?"

"Yes!" Lyn exclaimed as he took the bag, reaching for her own empty money purse that hung from her belt. Half of that blood-earned bag of gold would be more than enough to buy rations for the lean days and vulneraries. "I understand that you are well off, both in name and material goods, but I can't help but feel badly if I were to simply take everything you've offered me. If the money is used to help others in some way, that would be much better."

"Done," Lord Pent said with a chuckle as he slipped half the coins into her pouch. "Truly, the integrity of the Sacaean people is far less flexible than that of our own countrymen. Right, Louise?"

Louise giggled. "Even if it's true, you should hardly say that, Lord Pent."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lyn could see the others approaching from the stables. As she didn't want to try Sain's endurance regarding Louise any further, and since her friends had already said their goodbyes before going out to the stables, she decided that there was no need to draw out their farewell any longer. "May Father Sky's eyes always shine brightly upon you, and Mother Earth be firm wherever you go," said Lyn, a feeling of fondness welling inside her as she laid eyes on the three people who had helped her and her friends without asking for anything in return. "And may they grant a thousand blessings upon you."

They smiled back. "Saint Elimine will surely watch over you, all of you," Louise said, her voice wavering as her eyes seemed to shimmer in the morning sun. Reaching out, she embraced Lyn, who stood still in surprise for the barest of moments before hugging the other woman back. "And may she grant you the wisdom to choose the right decisions," the noblewoman whispered in Lyn's ear, "because your friends surely depend on you as much as you've depended on them."

"I will," Lyn whispered back.

They let go of each other and, before she left with her friends, she looked back and saw the three Etrurians, their home surrounded by fields of golden flowers as bright as the summer sun. And then, she turned around and looked before her, the dirt road slithering through endless green fields like one long snake.

They headed east.

-0-

Lyn couldn't describe how she knew when they were approaching Sacae, not in words; there was just a taste to the air, a scent that reminded her of wide, open plains, of filling mutton dumplings and fermented yak's milk and meaty stews, of big groups and always being kept busy with the women's chores and training with her father, of home. It was everything that Sacae meant to her before that dark night, when she lived a happy life without fear, so confident that things would remain that way.

But she would not let herself be distracted by nostalgia, not now when she was so close to avenging her fallen tribe. Instead, she spent her days riding with Kent, listening to the chatter of her friends, and watching Florina's pegasus soar through the air before them as small white feathers spiraled to the ground with every beat of her wings. The mountains of eastern Etruria melted into the beginnings of the bright greenish-yellow of the greater plains as they carried on, day by day, and before she knew it the mountains were far behind them.

Once again, she was home.

It was early summer now; over three months ago since she had left to meet the family she had never met, would never meet now. She had come home with friends, but she still couldn't forget those six months of loneliness on the plains. She had come home and she could feel how much she had missed it, but she knew that the main reason she had come back was to destroy those who had murdered her parents and her tribe. All the conflicting feelings thrashing inside her made her restless, no matter how hard they had ridden that day, every day--what could she do? She had trained so hard for this moment, but maybe--no. She had to do this for their sake, all the spirits of the fallen who desperately longed for an end to their misery.

So long as the Taliver lived, there could be no peace for either herself or the fallen.

Five days since they had first rode onto the plains, Lyn woke up to the light crackle of the campfire. Above her was the full moon, Father Sky's wounded eye wide open and gazing down upon Mother Earth and all of their children. She smiled at that thought; Oyon-baba always had a story to tell her and the other Lorca children about the gods and the Sacaean people, legends that had been passed down since before the Scouring. Sitting up, she saw that Sain was sitting by the fire while everyone else slept out in the open; aside from the rare ruins of a fortress from the days when Etruria tried to take over Sacae in order to secure a land route to Bern, they had gotten used to sleeping out in the open once again. A cold northern wind swept over her, forcing her to rub her bare arms for warmth before she decided to move closer to the fire.

"Oh, Lady Lyndis," Sain said, his voice that of the cheerfully surprised. "What are you doing awake? Are you perhaps worried about me, even after bearing witness time and time again to my prowess on the battlefield?"

"Not really," she replied with a smile. Then, because she knew that telling him she was cold would only lead to a conversation she would really rather avoid, she warned, "I know you're always doing your best. But if you see bandits, don't think you can take them all on by yourself, no matter your strength. We fight together, after all."

"Milady, what an inspiration you are to all of us!" he exclaimed, then winced and looked around when she waved a hand at the others to tell him to lower his voice. "My deepest apologies, milady. Such is the curse of being a knight of passion."

_It must be tiring to always be so...excitable_, Lyn decided. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll keep watch."

"How could I let my lady liege perform my duties? No, no, that wouldn't do at all." With the light from the fire, she could see him waving away her suggestion.

"Then I'll stay with you for a little while." Sitting in a cross-legged fashion in front of the fire, her hands smoothing out the front of her del--the traditional Sacaean outfit that she always wore--she looked up at the moon again. It seemed even brighter than before, overpowering even the firelight. "What a beautiful moon tonight," she murmured, more to herself. "If we could see as well as Father Sky is tonight, we would have no need for the markers to Bulgar."

"Father Sky...ah, one of the Sacaean gods you worship?"

"Worship?" Lyn let the word sit in her mouth for a bit, as if testing its weight. "Well, not exactly. At least, our rituals are very different from the Elimineans'. We talk about Father Sky and Mother Earth, but we don't...ah, preach like they do in the meetinghouses...the church? We honor them by holding onto the ways of our tribes. Our ancestors pass down stories so we can understand the wind and the moon, the rainy season and the sun, the shapes of the stars in the sky...well, not to say that the Elimineans don't talk of the same things, but after seeing Lycia and Etruria, I think there's a difference in how we view the world." Shaking her head, Lyn felt a little embarrassed when she noticed that Sain's attention was completely focused on her. "Yes?" she asked, more pointedly than she would've liked. The firelight played across Sain's widening smile as he began to gesture in wild, incomprehensible movements.

"How fascinating! I've always had a fondness for tales, no matter the storyteller." He sounded completely sincere, which to her ears was different from his usual brand of sincerity. Trying to understand him more than superficially was difficult because of that, but the undertone of real enjoyment in his voice made her resolve to try harder. "Lady Lyndis," he continued, his voice lower but no less happy, "could I perhaps trouble you for one of these legends of the plains? To hear the words fall from your lips like perfect pearls would be the only equal of such a beautiful night."

_And then again..._ Lyn had to hold back her laugh in fear of waking the others, but she was smiling widely all the same. "All right. Actually, there's a legend that would be perfect for tonight, about Father Sky and and Biyan of the Blinding Arrow.

"Many, many moons before Hanon, she who was blessed by our Father the Sky and our Mother the Earth to fight against the dragons, was born, there was a great hunter of the Mirte tribe. Called Biyan, he was said to be able to ride his horse silently through the grasses, his prey never knowing they were even being hunted at all until the moment of their death. Because of this, he often hunted alone, despite the danger, so confident he was in his skills. However, despite his great ability, he was a man easily angered, and in his anger he often committed rash acts that made him feared by his own tribe.

"In those days, Father Sky was always gazing at his beloved Mother Earth. One of his eyes watched all that went on during the day, and the other at night. Every night was like this night. But no matter how bright it was at night, no Sacaean would think of hunting after a long day of work within the tribe. As Biyan was already the best hunter during the daytime, he thought he would try to hunt at night. But no matter where he went, the beasts would wake and run off before he could even approach shooting distance, as the night belonged to them in the same way the day belongs to men. He could not believe that he could be detected so easily and he raged at his failure."

As if she had a bow in her hands, Lyn drew back its string and made to aim for the moon. "In his anger, he shot at the only thing he could see: Father Sky's open eye. His aim was true and his arrow sunk deeply within it. At that moment, the winds began to howl as Father Sky began to bellow in pain--it was the first time anything had ever hurt him. 'Why has my child done this to me?' Father Sky cried out, violent gales smashing down anything in their path as he tried in vain to get the arrow out of his eye. Biyan was speechless, only now realizing what he had done. Finally, Father Sky did the only thing he could do: he closed his eye. Darkness covered the plains for the first time, and for a long time that was all there was.

"After many weeks had passed, Father Sky spoke again to Biyan, who had been cast off by his tribe in punishment and now roamed the plains like a vagabond. 'Your aim is true, but your anger has squandered your talent and made you bend to hate. You have already wounded your father; would you wound your mother as well? That is something I could never allow." Lyn lowered her hands to the ground and pretended to scoop something from the dirt. "So saying this, Father Sky picked Biyan up from Mother Earth and placed him in the sky, where he still stands today with his bow in his hands. The blow he had dealt Father Sky was a permanent one, and so Father Sky is still bothered by the arrow in his eye. That's why the moon waxes and wanes, for Father Sky is always blinking just like anyone would if they had something in their eye."

There was silence after she was finished with the story. Before she could ask what the problem was, Sain began clapping his hands, although very quietly. "What a natural you are, milady, just as I expected! And this tale has been carried down for over a thousand years?"

Lyn nodded. "Yes, we pass down our stories through telling them to the younger members of the tribe. So I suppose you could say that I've just passed down the story to you."

"If only I could share it with my sisters," Sain said, his tone wistful. "The younger ones would always ask me for stories whenever I visited home."

"You...have sisters?" Lyn asked, trying to hide her surprise.

"Yes, three of them. One older and two younger than myself."

"Do you have any brothers?"

"No, milady." He sounded a little surprised as he asked, "I've never told you this before, have I?"

"No," Lyn said, guilt plucking at her like an archer would his bowstring. "I should've asked. I'm always interested in learning more about my friends."

There was another stretch of silence before Sain spoke again, his voice heavy with feeling. "Lady Lyndis, you truly are kind."

Such a simple statement seemed to be at odds with everything she had observed about him, and it struck her that this might be Sain at his truest--something he rarely showed for whatever reason. Whether that was true or not, Lyn was left feeling deeply touched, even though she knew that when the sun rose Sain would be back to being himself, or some other self, again.

She went to bed again afterwards, feeling calmer than she had in days.

-0-

After a few more days of uneventful traveling through the central plains, they all had a new appreciation for the vastness of Sacae. Bulgar seemed no closer than it had been days before. Lyn was concentrating on simply taking in the sights of home, her eyes closed as she felt the warm summer breeze caress her face and ruffle her bangs and her ponytail, when she heard Wil say, "Florina's coming back," with a note of concern in his voice.

She opened her eyes and saw that it was true; Florina's pegasus was descending from the endless blue skies. After Huey landed, Florina leaned over her pegasus' head, stroking behind one of Huey's ears as she did so. "Up ahead there's a village," Florina reported, but Lyn could see from her friend's troubled expression that there was more. "Um...it's bad. There are bandits coming down the southern mountains and attacking it."

"What is their number?" Kent asked. With some bemusement, Lyn noticed that Florina had actually relaxed at the sound of his voice.

"Um...I counted...I counted at least twelve, but since there were archers there..."

"Don't worry about it," Lyn said, smiling. "You did well. Let's see..."

_What would Mark say if he were here? What kind of tactic would he tell us to follow?_

"Are we going in?" Wil asked. "We have to do something, but they more than double us, so..."

"Of course," was Lyn's answer, distracted as she was in trying to figure out a plan. They had vulneraries, so she wasn't hesitant in fighting any brigands, but she knew now just how helpful a decent strategy could be in making sure they didn't get hurt in the first place. Then, she remembered something, a similar incident in the not-so-distant past. "Right, this is the plan. We can use the village walls and houses to give us cover as we attack. Florina, how large is the village?"

Florina held out her hands not too far from each other, as if measuring. "It's a little larger than that village in Bern, that one where we, um...where we all met."

"Okay, then we'll split up into two groups." Taking a deep breath, Lyn tried to arrange her thoughts the best she could--they didn't have much time. She looked at each of them as she give them their orders. "Florina, I want you to go to the northern part of this village. Wil, you'll go with her and protect her from any archers. Sain, make sure Wil doesn't get surprised by any enemies. Kent, you'll go with me to the southern part. We'll work our way around the perimeter of the village, because if we meet in the center we might end up surrounded by any reinforcements."

From what she could tell, everyone seemed all right with the plan. "Milady, you've learned well from Mark's example," Kent said, and the unexpected compliment made Lyn smile in embarrassment.

"Say that after we've won."

"But of course we'll win!" Sain proclaimed. He looked behind him, where was Wil checking the arrows in his quiver. "Never fear, young Wil, you'll suffer no harm so long as I breathe! For you, concussions are a thing of the past!"

There was a sour look on Wil's face when he glanced at Sain. "Did you have to bring that up? I-I'll do much better this time in looking around, so don't worry about me too much."

"Eh? But the point is that I'll be around, so you don't have to worry about that..."

Lyn noticed Florina looking at her arm, where the scar had lightened but was still visible on Florina's fair skin. "Is something wrong, Florina?" Lyn asked. Her best friend flinched in surprise, then shook her head.

"N-no, I was just..." Suddenly, Florina pressed her lips together, determination hardening her usually soft features. "I'll do my best."

"I know. I'm counting on you," Lyn replied, and she knew those were the right words because Florina smiled. "I'm counting on all of you," she continued as she looked at all her friends, and she was pleased by the confidence everyone had. It convinced her that even outnumbered they were a match for anyone. "Let's go!"

-0-

There was just no _end_ to them.

As Kent dealt the finishing blow to the last bandit closest to the alley between two worn-down hovels, Lyn used the respite to ready herself for the next wave who were, even now, making their way down the mountains like determined ants marching towards a downed bird. Though, by the look of the village and its broken walls and weed-choked grounds, it had never known anything beyond Mother Earth. Sighing, she leaned against the wall of one house--which squeaked in warning, making her careful--and stretched her arms, ignoring the fire of fatigue that burned through them. Despite her gloves, her palms felt unnaturally moist with sweat, worrying her; it would make her grip that much more unsure, and she couldn't risk that. Her legs, particularly her knees and her ankles, were already sore with all the crouching and springing forward that her fighting style demanded of her, and she never thought that her back had _that_ many muscles that could be made sore. As much as it embarrassed her to admit it, she was reaching her limits.

Yet it was worse to acknowledge it, to realize just how weak she still was. What good was all her practice in Etruria for if she still wasn't good enough?

Exhaling heavily through her nostrils, she watched, through eyes that felt raw from all the squinting she had done in the afternoon sun, as Kent approached. He didn't look quite as tall on his horse as she was used to seeing, and in a complicated way--much too complex for her right now--it made her feel better to see that she wasn't the only one worn down from all the fighting. "Milady," he called, "I suspect that this coming wave will be the last of the reinforcements on this side."

"Why is that?"

"The majority appear to be rounding the perimeter and entering the village through the eastern entrance."

Lyn tried to think about the possibilities, and could only find one to voice. "Do you think the others are doing well?"

"Well, I would admit that these brigands' numbers far exceed their skill." He was not looking at her; the bandits had reached the bottom of the mountain and, as far as she could tell, were splitting off just as Kent had said. "I do worry that, unless there is adequate cover, Wil may be a liability..."

"There is more cover here than in the middle of the plains," Lyn commented. Out of the seven brigands that made up this new wave, three of them were entering closest to their position. She thought about what Kent had said--_these brigands' numbers far exceed their skill_--and glanced around her, from the walls that only gave a suggestion of a barrier to the houses that looked less sturdy than gers. The bandits were so used to terrorizing the helpless that she couldn't imagine any of them knowing any greater skill than swinging an axe.

_How sickening_, she thought, familiar anger roiling inside of her. _These bandits are nothing more than carrion birds, stripping away at the weak and suffering._

_I can't stand it._

Her mind clouded with hate and the memory of her fallen tribe, Lyn dashed forward, sword at the ready. Before the head bandit could begin to react to her sudden movement, she sank her blade deep within his side, her momentum alone allowing the edge to rip through skin and flesh and scrape at what she thought was bone, his bottom rib, before tearing its way out into the dry summer air. Landing in a crouch, the soles of her boots skidding along the loose pebbles of the barren ground, she rebalanced herself before turning, landing the killing blow--a slash to the throat--as he attempted to turn and face her. Her shoulders, the back muscles around her neck, and her legs all seemed to throb in time, a second heartbeat, but she ignored it in favor of helping Kent, who was fighting the other two bandits. Just as she reached that battle, her ears picked up hoofbeats that sounded separate from Kent's; _is it Sain_, she wondered, _why would he leave Florina and Wil?_

There was a twanging sound that seemed to shudder in the still air, and one of the bandits fell over. Another followed, and suddenly there was no one else for either herself or Kent to fight. Confused, Lyn looked past the fallen bandits, her eyes meeting those of a Sacaean hunter. The scene reminded her so much of her first meeting with Rath that she smiled not only in relief but also in the embrace of old memories, raising one hand in welcome. The man said nothing, not that she expected any words. With a nod of acknowledgment, he turned and rode away.

A small cough alerted her to the fact that Kent was still beside her, and she quickly turned to him. "Father Sky blesses us if the plainsmen are willing to help," she said by way of explanation.

"'Men'?" Kent asked, looking around. Lyn nodded.

"Sacaean hunters travel in small groups, and they don't stray more than a half-day away from their tribe." After her customary quick swing of her sword in order to dislodge any blood, she sheathed it and began to jog towards the center of the town. "The rest must be with our friends," she called over her shoulder, and soon she was joined by the steady hoofbeats of Kent's horse.

As they approached the center of the village, she heard the sounds of battle before she saw Florina swoop down and thrust her lance into a brigand's chest. Kent had been right; most of the bandits for whatever reason chose not to enter through the south, and because of that it looked as though the battle was not as one-sided as it had been for herself and Kent. She couldn't see Sain with all of the bandits that were crowding him against what looked to be a storehouse, but she could see Wil, who was standing on its roof and picking off whomever he could. They were supported on the other side of the bandits by three Sacaean hunters, one of them the one from before. What caught her eye was the one who looked as though this was his first time outside of his tribe's campsite; youth was one thing, but there was a sense of panic as he shot arrow after arrow as if his quiver would never run out.

Lyn remembered being that young, once.

The mountain bandits were trapped, but their numbers made up for their bad position and Lyn was never one to hold back if she could help it. She leapt at the nearest one, feeling good as she cut him down despite all of her aching muscles. Every bandit put down was one less terrorizing the tribes and homesteads of the plains, and that meant more and more innocent people could live their lives free of the pain she still suffered. Despite her earlier doubts she did feel stronger, stronger than before Lycia, before that horrible night so many months before--strong enough to protect everyone who needed to be protected.

She wasn't going to fail anymore. That she swore on everything she held sacred: the winds that were the breath of life, the ground that was the body that would never give.

Never again.

So full of the promises she had made to herself, so caught up in the righteous fury as she cut down bandit after bandit that later she would be unsure of how to describe what happened next. What she could definitively state was this: The bandits' numbers were lessening. She was tall, so during the times when she was not attacking she could see over the draining lake of her enemies' shoulders and heads.

She saw Sain's defiant smile when he finally had enough room to maneuver, nimbly dodging a downward swing of an axe and returning with a powerful lance thrust that toppled his foe.

She saw the young Sacaean hunter fire off arrow after arrow--_does he have so little trust in his skill that he feels he has no choice but to shoot without regard?_ she wondered then.

She saw the brigands fall between the two.

Ducking, slashing through the gut of yet another lumbering foe with an axe, she was momentarily without sight, covered by a cloth wall of the sounds of tearing flesh, death cries, and the pulse of instinct thump-thumping in her head. Resurfacing from the thinning crowd, she thought, _Fighting in close quarters like this is just like swimming, it's so--_

"Sain! Move!"

Wil's yell disoriented Lyn in ways that her constant bobbing up and down in the battle did not. For a second it almost seemed like a joke. Despite their numbers, the brigands weren't _that_ bad. So, she didn't see exactly what happened next. What she see was Sain jerk suddenly, like he was trying to dodge but was caught mid-movement--but her mind didn't want to believe it at first because there weren't any brigands swinging at him. Then he seemed to disappear, his horse rearing in fright. But despite any criticisms Kent or Wil had in the past, Sain's reckless riding was far safer than any wild horse taming she had ever seen because it was obvious both knight and horse had similar wild temperaments. He wouldn't have fallen off without a reason.

The arrow embedded just under his chestplate was the only one that made sense.

Worse than the arrow, so much more worse than that single Sacaean-style arrow lodged just under his ribs, was that even after all the bandits were dead and Sain's horse was calmed down and they tried to make him comfortable on the dusty, pebbly ground while flinging sharp words at each other before they could finally work together, Sain didn't move.

He didn't move.

-to be continued-

This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but after four or so months, what does another day matter? Back then, I decided that I wouldn't post until I could ensure that I would definitely be posting on a weekly basis, and life didn't allow for that until now. Thank you for your patience and I hope everyone enjoys the holidays!

Welcome to the Sacae/Revenge arc. When I was plotting out this story, I had trouble deciding whether to make this a T or M rated story. This arc is why. Even now I'm still a little shifty about it, but I hope you'll enjoy the story no matter where it goes.


	11. 09 Half Blood Child

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

09. Half-Blood Child

Lyn hated waiting.

She didn't think she was the impatient type; it was very difficult to grow into impatience after being trained in both hunting and weaving, and anyway she had never minded waiting around for her friends unless it was about something ridiculous. No, waiting for the little things never bothered her--it was waiting for the important things that caused her blood to heat up with anxiety and her gaze to dart from here to there like a rabbit bolting from a wolf. Oyon-baba had explained once that it was because of her being born in the first wind month of the year, causing her to be calm when she was relaxed but making it easy for her emotions to spiral out of control whenever they were churned up. She was told that it was the great conflict of her affinity and she would have to defeat it if she ever wanted to realize her true potential.

It wasn't something Lyn believed in, because she remembered waiting for her father and mother to emerge from the attack on the Lorca, the attack her father had forced her to flee. She had waited so long that night, until the poisoned water and the chill of the autumn night had caused her to collapse.

Ten days later she had woken up, only to realize she had lost everything.

That was the price of waiting. That was the price of hoping futilely for the gods to do something, _anything_, while at a safe distance away. Waiting did nothing but make her a passive accomplice in the crimes of others. Waiting got others killed. She bore the weight of so many deaths because she had failed to act, and even now that she had promised to go back and avenge the deaths of her tribe, it was still too late in a sense, wasn't it?

Now she had to wait again, outside the ger where the healer of the tribe she and her friends had been taken to worked to save Sain's life.

_Father Sky, Mother Earth, please be merciful_, she pleaded in her mind, _I don't want to lose another..._

Her hands trembled. Even when she clenched them together they still trembled. Beside her, Florina stood quietly--almost too quietly. Lyn wanted to reach out to her friend, but her hands wouldn't stop trembling and she didn't want to reveal to anyone, not even her best and dearest friend, just how scared she was. She had to remain strong for everyone, and she clung to that thought and tried to keep her trembling hidden, buried.

She had to.

Wil paced, like all of his energy was swirling around in his legs. _Isn't he also of the wind affinity_? Lyn wondered, trying to grasp at anything that could distract her. Maybe that was why he was also so restless, maybe his legs and her hands were afflicted with that same awful feeling. It made her jealous, a little, that he could let it out so boldly while all she could do was clench her hands and stare at the closed flap of the ger like Kent. Kent, who crouched close to where she stood and stared with a single-minded fervor, one hand holding the side of his head like he had a headache. Maybe he did. Despite how he always seemed at once exasperated by and resigned to Sain's ways, Lyn knew there was no one else closer to him.

Without Sain, there only seemed to be a great silence around them that echoed in her heart.

The flap was pushed aside and the healer, a man she thought was in his mid-thirties and looked just as expressionless as Rath had ever been, stepped out of the ger. His gaze fixed onto her face without even the most cursory acknowledgment of her friends, and somewhere deep within Lyn's mind she felt a twinge of indignation because she understood that casual dismissal for what it was. When the Lorca had crossed paths with other tribes, she had noticed that same dismissal towards her mother. Sometimes, even towards herself.

Sacae was for Sacaeans, some of the more prideful tribes insisted. Only Sacaeans.

The healer nodded, not in greeting, but as a gesture to talk privately. Irritated, scared, and very mindful of the rules of gratitude and tribal honor, Lyn swallowed down her words and followed him away from the ger. It was only once they were some distance away from the back of the ger when he looked her in the eye and stated, "His body still lives."

The sudden emotional change made her feel almost nauseous, like she was on that ship again and trying to get used to the constant rocking of the waves. What tempered the sudden rush of relief and glee was the insistent gravity of the man--if Rath's presence was understated, then this healer's was indomitable. "But?" Lyn urged after a moment of silence.

"He will die."

She stared at him--it was all she could do in that single moment. "What?" The healer pointed to his collarbone.

"This fractured in the fall," he said, and she had to tell herself that the disdain she thought she had heard in that last word was just a trick of her mind or else she would do something unthinkable.

"But what about the arrow?" she demanded.

The healer frowned. "It was poorly made," he said, and she had the feeling he was more bothered by that than the fact that it had struck an ally. "Nothing vital was hit."

"Then, his collarbone?"

"It will heal if he wakes."

"He's still unconscious?" Lyn asked, surprised. The sun, so high before, now signaled it was time for a light evening meal. Wil had recovered from his own head injury much more quickly, even if he had suffered its effects for a few days afterward.

"When children fall, most wake by the second or third day. Those ride again. After that, there is no chance." The healer looked up at the sky. "Children heal fast."

"Then," she pressed, "what about an adult man?"

The look she received in response revealed the depth of the disgust he had for her question. "Sacaean adults don't fall," he stated, and if she thought she had only imagined the disdain before, now she knew how present it was in the healer's every word. It made her clench her jaw in humiliation to receive such naked disdain from a fellow plainsman, but she could not say anything in response because of the help he had extended to her since they had arrived.

_No_, she told herself, _that's not important. Right now I have to make sure Sain lives._

"How many days?" she asked. The healer looked down from the sky, a weariness to his gaze that made her realize that he still cared about whether Sain lived or died, no matter his feelings about a foreigner.

"Five."

Lyn tried to repeat the word, but it was stuck on her tongue and she couldn't force it out. She could only stare at him because that wasn't enough.

That wasn't enough!

"Why?" was the word she chose instead, because she needed to know. This was Sain's life they were talking about, she had to know!

Deliberately, the healer looked away. "We leave then."

That wasn't fair, she wanted to say. Sain's life depended on the charity of this tribe. This was a life that depended on them, so why couldn't they stay? She wanted to demand that this tribe, their benefactor, stayed for as long as Sain needed. But she couldn't.

She understood.

She was of the Lorca, so she understood. She was Sacaean, so she understood. Those who were able rode with the tribe, and those who could not, did not. If a horse, or a goat, couldn't continue, it was killed.

They were nomads. That was life.

And because of that, she didn't need to ask any other questions. She knew the answers, because she had lived them with the rest of the Lorca. If Sain didn't wake at the end of those five days, then there was no question of what needed to happen. It would be mercy.

This was what it meant to be a nomad, and she and her friends were nothing if not nomads now.

"I can't do that," she whispered. "He's my friend."

The healer looked at her. She could feel the weight of his stare, and then he began to walk away. After a few steps, he stopped. "Are you of the Bulgar tribe?" he asked, and she twitched at the insult in those words. Standing a little straighter, she glared at his back.

"I am Lyn of the Lorca," she stated. "Hassar, the chieftain, was my father. I know the gifts of Father Sky and Mother Earth, and I hear their words and know their love. I am proud of who I am, as a true daughter of the plains."

He inclined his head. "You have come home, but your heart still lingers in other lands."

Lyn looked down, ashamed. He was right. What was she doing, posturing in front of a fellow Sacaean? This was not their way. "I'm sorry," she said. He made a sound of assent and began to walk away, but then she realized there was something else she needed to ask, something else honor demanded. "What tribe is this? I want to thank your chief for letting us in."

"We are the Kutolah," the healer said, turning around. "Our chief is Dayan, the Silver Wolf."

"Thank you," Lyn said, troubled by an odd feeling of not-quite-remembering something. "You don't need to worry about Sain. We'll watch over him."

"That would be best," he replied. "The Kutolah is a proud tribe."

She knew that, because while a certain feeling of having forgotten something nagged at her, she did know the Kutolah. They were one of the three great tribes, comparable only to the Bulgar tribe that ruled Sacae's main trade city and the Djute tribe, who roamed the western part of the country. The Bulgar tribe aside, the Kutolah and the Djute stayed away from foreign faces whenever they could. She knew the others would do everything they could to help Sain, but she would have to tell them that unfortunate reality of Sacae. That was all she was going to tell them. Five days, nomadic mercy...those she would keep to herself.

It wasn't going to be necessary, she told herself. Sain would pull through. He was strong enough.

He _was_.

-0-

"I don't really get it," Wil had said, his brows furrowed. "But if that's how it has to be, then okay." Kent had said nothing at all, the small frown on his face hiding as much of his feelings as it showed them, and Florina had fretted with a small, "Really, Lyn?" but had kept her head down when Lyn had looked at her. That was the sum of their responses when she had told them the first night that they would have to keep a low profile. She really hadn't wanted it to sound as if the Kutolah hated foreign-looking people, but it seemed to come out that way no matter what words she used. What mattered most was that they looked after Sain until he woke up.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything about the limited amount of time, or what would have to happen if Sain simply never woke up again.

That was why, three days into their stay, Lyn had enough and left the ger where the five of them were housed--a tight fit, but they were used to staying together. Time was running out and she felt useless sitting at Sain's side, trying to give him water and broth in the silence that an awake Sain never would've stood for. By the light of Father Sky's eyes, she was missing being hit on by him. If--when he woke up, she swore she'd endure it just once without comment, just so Kent could rebuke him and Wil would laugh while Florina edged towards her to have someone to duck behind once Sain's roving eyes found her next.

Lyn clenched her hands at the thought, and walked faster towards the chieftain's ger. Now was not the time to be distracted by hopeful reminiscing, but for action.

The doorway of the ger of a Sacaean chief was always marked with the image of the animal that represented the chieftain most. Lyn could still fondly remember the falcon that sat above the doorway of her family's ger; done in the stylistic imagery of basic shapes, much like the hem work of Sacaean clothing, it was a familiar presence in her childhood and she had loved it when her father would let her sit on his shoulders to put it up once they set up camp in their traditional winter or summer sites. Of course she had been too old for that for several years already, but the memory of it now made her wipe at her eyes with one vicious swipe of the back of her sword hand. The icon above the Kutolah chief's ger was a wolf; fitting, she thought, remembering what the healer had called him: Dayan, the Silver Wolf. The silverback wolf of north-central Sacae, along the bordering mountains with Ilia, was known as being one of the most deadly animals of the plains, its monstrous strength augmented by sheer numbers and uncanny intelligence.

Just like the Kutolah.

There were two guards in front of ger's entrance, both men with swords on their hips. Only Sacaean men were allowed to learn the ancient swordplay of the myrmidons, which was why Lyn inwardly smirked when she noticed both of their gazes on the swords she carried on her left hip--even in a place as safe as the Kutolah camp, she didn't feel comfortable unless she wore them. "I am Lyn of the Lorca, and I wish to pay my respects to your chief," she stated.

"Daughter of the Lorca, the chieftain has been expecting you," said one of the guards, and she nodded in acknowledgment before stepping forward and pushing the curtains in front of the doorway aside. Inside was Chief Dayan along with a few men of the tribe, surrounded by the thick odor of smoke from the kanja weed that brought nostalgic thoughts into her mind, but Lyn didn't think it would be an exaggeration to say that the Kutolah chieftain looked like he could've swapped places with any of the other men with him and she wouldn't have blinked an eye. He looked young, and the goatee with the heavier mustache he wore didn't change that. Her own father had been young, along with her mother, but they had something about them that made them feel older, as if they had gone through trials together and gained wisdom and a certain bearing from their experiences. She didn't sense that from the man who sat the head of the small group, but no one else would be allowed to sit there but the chieftain.

"Hassar's daughter," Chief Dayan remarked. "Sit with us."

Lyn did so carefully onto one of the cushions directly across from the chieftain, mindful of her position as a woman. It wasn't fair, but even in the Lorca women were not allowed at many of the meetings her father held with his advisors. There was the men's world and the women's world, and as Oyon-baba had once told her, they only met at mealtimes and at night. Her mother had told her that it wasn't so different back in her home country but had refused to elaborate. As Lyn took off her swords and placed them in front of her as a sign of respect, she thought she could understand what her mother had meant now that she had experienced Caelin's knights and their idea of chivalry for herself.

The image of Sain, pleading with a confused Ninian to allow him the honor of protecting her during her convalescence while Nils tried to shoo him away, entered Lyn's mind and hardened her resolve.

"Daughter of the Lorca, we have been expecting your presence," one of the men said, exhaling streams of wispy smoke as he lowered the pipe. She watched him hand it to the man next to her, knowing that it would never be given to her. All she could do was lower her head, her eyes facing forward.

"Yes, I've been watching over my friend."

"None of them are Sacaean." This, from the man sitting to the left of the chieftain. Lyn nodded.

"We've survived together."

Said the first man who had spoken: "What of the rest of your tribe in Bulgar?"

"Our goals are different. They wish to live in peace, but I will avenge the Lorca."

The pipe was handed to Chief Dayan, but he held it in his hands as he watched her from under his full eyebrows. "The falcon still flies," he mused. "You honor your tribe and your father, heir of the Lorca."

His words made fire burn behind her eyes, the sudden emotions threatening to engulf her and turn her into ash. With effort she kept her expression rigid, calm. "I only do what I must. I hear my fallen tribesmen cry out for one of their own to avenge them, and I know they cannot have any peace until the last Taliver bandit has been struck down by my sword."

"That must be why you wield the Mani Katti," Chief Dayan replied. "It is Father Sky's eye, open wide to see and destroy evil before it. It will not fail you so long as you can see in front of you with clear eyes."

"You ally with foreign faces. Can they understand what it means for we of the plains to avenge the fallen?" asked the man to the right of the chieftain, his mustache streaked with gray. "Or, can you?"

Lyn felt her face burn at the insult laid bare before her; she could not help herself. "I am a Sacaean warrior, born of the plains! I have been to Lycia, and I know that their morals are twisted. They hide when they do good because it isn't accepted among them. That must be why my mother fled, because my father and my tribe could see her heart and knew that despite her looks, she was the same as any true Sacaean woman." Bringing her hand to her chest, she said, "That is the same with me. That is the same with my friends. I won't bear your insults towards any of us!"

The old man looked ready to retort, if not for his chieftain's raised hand. "We have all known of Hassar's decision to take a foreign wife, even if we all wondered why he would insult our sisters by shunning them. I see the daughter he has given life to, and I am pleased to recognize one of our own."

That the Kutolah chieftain would honor her again and again made her more eager to keep his praises, suddenly greedy. She came here expecting nothing, and now she craved for more. It was not the Sacaean way, but she loved it all the same.

"I know why you came here, daughter of the Lorca. You are already a chieftain in your own right, seeking to protect your tribe." Chief Dayan inhaled from the shared pipe, then shook his head once. "But it cannot be done. Father Sky and Mother Earth forbid it. We move in accordance to them, not to the pleas in our heart. That is all I can offer to you, as one chief to another."

Lyn lowered her head, and this time her gaze fell to the pattern work of the rugs on the floor. "I see." Rising to her feet, she tried to keep her expression calm, accepting, even though in her heart she wanted to rage at Father Sky and Mother Earth--a sin beyond sins. "Then I must hurry back. Thank you for seeing me."

"You are welcome here anytime before we prepare to leave. I did not know your father well beyond what I have heard from the wind, but he was a man to follow."

"Ah, yes." While looking at Chief Dayan's face, she thought she had seen something familiar in the arch of his eyebrow, concern that was suppressed but still seen. "Chief of the Kutolah, your tribe is known as one of the three great tribes of the Sacae Plains. Among your people, was one of them named Rath?"

All the men of the chieftain's entourage looked at her, sharp glares under furrowed brows. But it was only the chief who spoke. "Kutolah matters are for Kutolah only." His tone was not sharp; actually, Lyn thought it was quite bland, all things considering.

It only proved her thought right--Rath was once of the Kutolah. But why had he left? To what end did he wander? She wished they had been close enough that he could have felt able to tell her these things, but it was no longer possible.

She thanked Chief Dayan once again, and returned to watch over Sain with the rest of her friends.

-0-

That night, while everyone slept, Lyn sat at Sain's bedside and stared down at his face with the night-piercing eyes of an owl, her hand on the hilt of the dagger she wore on her belt.

Sain had lain on the ground since their arrival days ago, with only a sturdy woolen blanket separating him from the dirt. His armor was against the taut cloth wall of the ger, stripped off by Kent's practiced fingers when the healer had asked for it to be removed, and continually polished by Florina because it unnerved the girl to be near Sain's body even if he was still sleeping. His shirt was gone too, folded on top of his shiny breastplate, and Lyn knew that if Sain had any idea that she was the one who changed the bandages swathing his chest and shoulders he would be incorrigible.

She wanted him to be incorrigible. She wanted him to annoy her, annoy all of them, because that was better than this. That was better than having to stare down at his motionless form now with her hand on the hilt of the dagger she used to skin rabbits for their dinner, the dagger that she kept sharp enough to slice through skin and flesh and probably even a throat, if it came down to that.

Mercy.

The word made her think of a winter, so many years ago, when a sickness came upon the Lorca. Most of them recovered; her mother and herself among them. But some of the elderly members hadn't the strength of youth and they wasted away until her father gave Kajht, their healer, a single nod. Then, after that, she and the other children had to find stones to build the oovo, burial monuments, for the graves of the sick who could never have recovered.

"They didn't have a chance!" her mother had yelled at her father after the ceremony, her voice strained and her lovely face drawn. Lyn remembered that her father had said nothing at all, as was often his wont, but this time the silence was something different, something colder, and out of all the years they lived together as a family it was the only time she could remember her mother and father being so harsh towards each other. Now, at fifteen years old and an adult in her own right, Lyn could see both their sides--her mother, who thought it had been cruel, and her father, who had to make the decision to end the suffering of the sick.

Slowly, she drew her dagger. It sounded like a sigh, and her very heart trembled to hear it.

With the night-piercing eyes of the owl, she stared at Sain's face. Without his ever-present smile he looked wrong, and for one moment she hated him. She hated the man who was lying there looking like Sain but wasn't because he wasn't smiling, he wasn't laughing, he wasn't living.

And if he wasn't going to do either of those things by the time the Kutolah left, Lyn would have to kill him.

Her body shook at the realization of the truth. What was mercy was also murder. Here, now, they were inseparable and she didn't have the power to separate them.

Here, now, all her gains towards true strength meant nothing.

Sliding the dagger back into its hilt with a nearly inaudible click, she reached out and touched his face with one bare hand. He had a few days' worth of stubble, and with it and the daytime light he no longer looked himself. If this new Sain smiled or laughed, he wouldn't look boyish or troublesome or incorrigible. He'd look like he needed a shave. She bit her lower lip and pretended she was trying to hide a smile as she stroked his cheek, bristles and all. Having never touched a man's face before, she thought it would feel different inside her than it would be if she touched Florina's face to calm her best friend down, but it didn't. She wondered if it was because this man wasn't really Sain at all.

She exhaled, thinking _Sain, I'm sorry for taking too many liberties with you when you're not even awake to enjoy it._

The needy, insistent urge to cry suddenly hit her, and she withdrew her hand and covered her face and stayed that way until she could pretend that she was never going to cry in the first place. When she lowered her hand she had nobody's eyes but her own and couldn't see through the darkness that surrounded her. All she could do creep to the thin mat she was using as a bed and ignore the weight of the dagger resting on her hip as she laid on her back and closed her eyes.

-0-

The next day was the fourth day, and after arranging and tightening Sain's bandages Lyn escaped from the ger and went to groom Sain's horse. As Sacaeans loved horses, both his and Kent's horses as well as Florina's pegasus were treated by the Kutolah as special guests--not that she could complain about the tribe's treatment of herself and her friends, so long as they left the healer's ger as little as possible. Nobody had for the other days except for necessary reasons, so to leave the ger and groom the horses was supposed to be an escape.

"Lyn! Hey, Lyn!"

Lyn held back a sigh as she heard Wil's calls grow louder. After patting the horse's flank, she walked over to the entrance of the large fenced-in area where the tribe's horses were allowed to graze, where Wil lingered with a wary look aimed at the horses. "Wil, is something wrong?" she asked once she reached him, her innate sense of concern overriding her need to be alone.

Wil, who was holding himself loosely, bent his head and reached up with one arm to rub the back of his head, a sheepish look on his face. "Um...actually I was thinking that was kind of my question."

She crossed her arms, confused and short on patience. "What?"

"I mean.." He looked at her, his look both oddly serious as well as something else, something unidentifiable, that made her frown in response. "I saw you last night."

Lyn went so still that it felt like it was her natural state of being. "Wil, I..." But she had no words. How could she, when she still remembered the weight of the dagger in her hand as she knelt over Sain's prone body?

"So...how are you?"

"What?"

"You know." Wil smiled, though he still looked sheepish. "You looked really down. I mean, of course we're supposed to be like that, considering...but you looked really, really, _really_--"

"Okay, I get it," she interrupted, holding her sword hand up as her other arm curled more tightly around her waist. "And you're right. I-I don't know what to do. It feels like I can't do anything at all."

Wil nodded. "I know. I feel the same way. You know, ever since Caelin, we've been kinda helpless but it was still okay because we were together. Now it's like...it's strange. All we can do is wait."

"...About that," Lyn said, lowering her gaze to the yellow-green grass so familiar to her. The sight of her homeland should've been a blessing from the gods, but right now Mother Earth was impassive. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Her head snapping up, Lyn found herself staring directly into Kent's eyes. "Kent!" she said, surprise and nervousness coiling in her stomach like grass snakes. However much she hadn't wanted to say what she needed to before, the unpleasantness of her job now was magnified as she saw the dark smudges under his eyes, the laxity in his step. For a man who kept himself so rigid in the face of his duty, the signs she saw in him were that of a controlled breakdown.

And what--she was going to tell him that, come tomorrow, there was no hope for Sain? That the only mercy she could offer their dear, fallen friend was at the end of a knife?

Was that all?

"Lady Lyndis, perhaps I'm interrupting?"

"No, no you aren't. I...I need to tell this to you, too." Lyn took a deep breath. "The Kutolah are leaving tomorrow."

Both men stared at her, uncomprehending for one long, blissful moment. Then Wil slowly began to shake his head. "Hey, wait. That's not...what does that mean for us? For Sain?"

Lyn had always prided herself on her straightforward manner, her back as unflinching as her morals, but here she failed; she looked down. "In the fall, Sain not only fractured his collarbone, he hit his head. You know this. Sometimes, people don't wake up from that."

"But I was hit in the head, and I'm perfectly fine now!" Wil protested, but she could hear it as well as anyone else that there was no heart in his words.

They all knew, didn't they?

"Kent?" She looked at him, her eyes taking in his impassive features, from his smooth brow to his slightly parted lips. That there was not even one wrinkle of stress worried her. "Kent, are you all right?"

He closed his eyes, his eyebrows slanting downward. "What would you have me do?"

Lyn looked away, into Wil's anguished face, then towards the many horses in the spacious pen. "I don't want Sain to suffer. In Sacae, because of the way we live, we don't let people linger forever. That's cruel, so...I don't know if you understand, but--"

"I understand," Kent responded. "My father had not wanted to linger, either." The words, so simply spoken, caused Lyn to face him, all at once surprised that it was not just an invention of her people as well as feeling the need to reach out for him, even though there was so little emotion in his words.

There was relief inside her, too.

"You needn't worry any longer," he continued. "Sain is...I will do it."

"Do what?" Wil asked, a deeply suspicious tone in his question. "What does that mean? What are you going to do?"

She could feel the guilt pounding in time with her heartbeat as she turned to him, the rare flash of anger on his face looking more like a wince of pain than real fury. He was shaking, and she admired that he could so easily show his emotions, knowing fully well that she couldn't do that anymore, not without feeling foolish, _childish_ afterward. If she could, he'd know that she didn't want to do this either. She wanted another option. But to say that the day after Chief Dayan praised her so...she was Sacaean, so...

Shaking his head, Wil kept his eyes on her. There was desperation in his eyes, a desperation that felt so familiar, but there was also an understanding that was his own to claim. "You can't, Lyn. I know you don't want to do this. Sain's kind of inconsiderate about these things, right? He likes to take his own sweet time. We just--we just have to wait him out. You know that." He reached out to her, his fingers lightly touching the short sleeve of her del. "Lyn, this isn't right. We...it's the five of us. We've always stuck together, we, we can't change that now."

_Don't tell me my own thoughts._ But even as she thought that, she stared at his shoulder as she said, "I'm sorry, Wil."

"I don't...believe you." A flicker of something truly painful crossed his face as he lowered his arm. "You know this is wrong, you know that..." He turned his head towards Kent, who she couldn't face after his agreement. "Kent, he's like your best friend, isn't he? So why are you--there's no way you want to do this. C'mon, you can't do this. You can't just turn your back and run away when you know that staying together is what's right for us. Don't you know that?"

"When the Kutolah leave, it will still take at least two days for us to reach Bulgar. To transport him, to feed him...and he may just die anyway, except that he'll starve to death, or he'll..." Lyn couldn't speak anymore, the words sour in her mouth. They did not taste like words she could stand behind, words that resembled the truth, but she had to say them all the same because this was all she saw she could do.

Wil shook his head one last time. "This is wrong." Before she could respond, if even she had the words to do so, he turned around and stormed off. She had never seen him so angry before. She was angry too, angry that this was the only path she could see that made sense, that would be best, that was true to her heritage.

She had no choice.

-0-

That night, she waited outside the ger with Florina and Wil while Kent stepped inside with her dagger. Kent hadn't wanted anything of hers to be attached to this act, but she had insisted; it was her choice, and she knew he was only abiding by it because of his sense of loyalty. She would not turn away from this decision to commit mercy, and so it was up to her to take in as much guilt as necessary. Florina hovered nervously at her elbow; Wil, who had not said a single thing to anybody since he returned earlier than evening, stood as far away from the doorway as possible while still standing in sight of it.

Look at her. Look at what she was doing to everyone. More than anything, she knew that this was going to destroy them because she knew that Wil would never see her as anything more than a murderer again. The way Florina had carefully shielded her gaze as Lyn tried to explain to her, to the both of them, why this was necessary had stung just as hard as Wil's pleading. Pegasus knights probably didn't do this sort of thing either, or Florina was just too kindhearted.

This was a kindness, too, to let Sain's spirit fly away with all the freedom that he craved, that he couldn't have while trapped in a body that only slept. It was mercy.

It _was_.

The flap of the ger was pushed aside with a soft sound, and Kent walked out. Everyone stared at him as he approached Lyn, and she looked down at his hands as he returned her dagger. The blade shone silver in the waning moon's light. All she could do was nod before she took her dagger back and began her own walk into the ger, her stomach churning painfully all the while. Kneeling down at Sain's bedside, she placed the blade against his throat. She had done this before, she could do it again.

Her arm wouldn't move.

She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, she could look down at the dagger pressed against Sain's throat, but she couldn't move her arm to--to give him the mercy she believed he needed. It felt like all the air she was taking into her body did nothing to nourish it, that the earth underneath her did not give her the stability she needed. She couldn't hear anything of the gods, only her own heartbeat.

The sound of the doorway flap being pushed back reached her ears, soft footsteps sounding behind her. It was Florina, she always knew when it was Florina because she knew nobody alive half as well as her dearest friend.

"Lyn...don't."

Her eyes hurt. They stung. They felt hot. She hurt and she felt hot, but she was frozen by indecision and could do nothing about it. She heard Florina approach her, sit down behind her, and she felt it keenly when her best friend leaned against her back while running her hands up onto her shoulders.

"This isn't like you. Shouldn't we try our best to help him?"

Wasn't this helping him? They had no guarantees that he would ever wake again. The Kutolah said--her memory of her father said--

"I know you don't want to do this. If you did, I wouldn't...wouldn't stop you. But I know you, Lyn, so..."

Lyn closed her eyes as she felt Florina's hands tighten on her shoulders, her heart constricting just as tightly.

"Don't."

_I'm weak_, Lyn thought. _I'm so weak._

"Lyn...?"

Lyn stood, sheathing her dagger in one fluid motion as she wrapped her other arm around Florina's petite waist and drew her best friend near. Bending down, she placed her forehead against Florina's and said, "Thank you." Florina edged nearer, her small hands fluttering along Lyn's waist.

"It's okay. I just...I know you, so..."

"Yeah, you do." Lyn straightened her posture before heading towards the doorway, her arm still around Florina's waist. They exited the ger into the cool night, where Kent and Wil were waiting for them. "This is what we're going to do," Lyn started with no preamble. "Kent, ready the horses. Wil, you're going to help me wrap up Sain in blankets. Florina, you'll get Sain's armor to carry."

"Uh, wait, what?" Through the light of Father Sky's closing eye, she could see the rising hope on Wil's face as he stared at her. Kent was looking at her too, his expression impossible for her to read past the shock.

"We're gong to strap Sain's body across the horses and hurry to Bulgar. I...I know people who will help him if I ask." She didn't want to think about that right now, so the next words burst out of her as if she was shoving the prior words out of existence. "I'm not sure how we're all going to ride, but we'll make do somehow."

Wil rushed forward, his expression normal and happy once again. "Yeah, we will! So come on, let's do this!"

Nodding, Lyn followed Wil back into the ger, this time not to take Sain's life but to save it, if possible. But she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling inside of her, the one that said that she was going against her culture, her tribal beliefs, by choosing to follow her nature. It made her wonder if she was doing this out of as much fear of following the nomadic way as the hope that Sain could be saved.

It made her wonder how Sacaean she truly was.

-to be continued-

It's been over a year since I last posted a chapter. I'm very sorry to have left you on a cliffhanger for that long. And, I'm not sure if anyone was quite expecting this chapter to be prolonged argument about euthanasia, but I hope you didn't mind it. This was a difficult chapter because of a lot of factors, but this past year and a half has been very instructive in regards to my writing skills and what I want for this story. I know this is going to be a difficult chapter for some people to take in, but I hope you can trust me to tell a story that makes sense.


	12. 10 Blood Money

"Here...it's here."

Dizzy with hunger, Lyn could feel herself wavering as she slowed Sain's horse to a trot; beside her, Kent slowed his own horse as well, the both of them always cautious with their precious cargo even though speed had been so important the last two days. Through the rows of yellowed adobe buildings, the reddish glow of the sunset cast an unearthly light upon them until they seemed to seethe a lurid orange. This haunting image, coupled with her unfamiliarity with this part of Bulgar, made Lyn feel as if she wasn't wanted in Sacae's capital city--Sacae's only city.

She didn't want to be here either, not to this place where the ruling tribe was filled with city-dwellers who knew nothing about life on the plains. But to save Sain, to see him up and about and flirting with his usual robustness once again, to avoid that other option...oh, what wouldn't she do?

She'd even acknowledge _him_ again.

Dismounting from Sain's steed was more uncomfortable than she would ever admit, her stomach gnawing with a fierce hunger that she had been ignoring since she'd woken up this morning. In retaliation, the hunger had taken her legs away from her, or so it felt, as she stumbled and wobbled before shaking her head and making her way to the door of the closest building. With a strength borne more from desperation rather than anything righteous and pure, she pounded on the door three, four times before she was chastised for the effort with another wave of unsteadiness. Gritting her teeth, she reached out with one hand and gripped the bumpy, uneven wall. She could hear Florina's pegasus land with a swooping sound, then Wil's exclamation of relief as he jumped off, all the while her impatience threatening to boil over.

_You chose to stay here rather than return to the plains_, she thought with growing annoyance, _so why aren't you here now?_

She sagged in painful weakness, her breathing unsteady. The meager rations they had received from the Kutolah ran out at the end of the first day; the Kutolah had to think of themselves first and riding hard had worked up just as greedy a hunger as fighting. It didn't matter--all she wanted was someone to answer the door...

Lyn gritted her teeth, her headache worsening. _Hurry up!_

There were footsteps on the other side of the door, and then it was open, revealing Kana, Yune's wife. The shock on her pretty face didn't make Lyn feel any better, not when she was showing so much weakness. "Lyn! You've returned to us--"

"No," Lyn interrupted, her irritation making her curtness sound hostile. Right now, she couldn't say that it was not something she was feeling. "I have a friend. He needs Oyon-baba's help. You have to..." She stopped as another wave of dizziness assaulted her. Kana reached out to her, but Lyn backed away and turned her head to her friends behind her. "Kent! Wil! This is the place!"

"Lyn--"

"Is she here?" Lyn asked as she turned back to face Kana. "She's not dead, is she? She was fine when I left for Lycia!" The hysterical note at the end of her last sentence made her want to flinch in disgust, but she was so, so desperate and running on little more than hope. If Oyon-baba was gone, then so too was Sain's last chance.

Kana's face was grave. "Yes, and she's well. Bring your friend in, then. We are always willing to help those of our tribe...but we're not Lorca to you anymore, are we?"

"Thank you," Lyn said, ignoring the rest of Kana's words as she went back to her friends to help unload and carry Sain inside. The look on Kana's face meant nothing to her, the words even less.

Kana was right. Lyn was the last Lorca now.

Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

10. Blood Money

There was something about buildings, whether they were made of adobe or stone or whatever else there was, that bothered Lyn. If her friends knew about her secret dislike she was sure they would find it strange, and privately she thought the same thing. How much of her life had she spent living in her family's ger, after all? But gers were made of wood and animal skins, once from living creatures who enjoyed the bounties of Mother the Earth and Father the Sky. They were dyed with colors made from boiling certain plants, and when it was cold the walls were reinforced with heavy blankets woven from the wool of the tribe's sheep. This had not changed since before The Scouring, and Lyn believed it never would. These beliefs were as eternal as the sky and the earth.

Buildings pretended at eternity. They felt sturdy, but they collapsed very easily. How many times had Bulgar been rebuilt after an earthquake? It was not a matter of simply raising the beams and stretching out the skins once again; to rebuild the buildings made from Mother Earth's castoffs and dead flesh required enough effort to put together a whole tribe's worth of gers! When she had been younger, Lyn thought that it could be nice to have a permanent home that didn't have to be moved with the seasons, but her mother had explained why it was better the plainsman way: the tribe was family, and family was home. Without family, even the biggest, most sturdiest building was nothing more than a soulless place in which to eat and sleep.

She knew that now.

What she hated the most was how it felt so hard to breathe inside these buildings sometimes. The wind didn't move well within them, and with such solid ceilings and nothing more than a window or two for light, it felt as if she was cut off from Father Sky. The floor was nothing like Mother Earth, either. And, even though her ger was not as big as the room everyone was in now, she felt anxious--and not all of it had to do with Sain's condition.

Kana had found blankets for him to lay upon before she left to find Oyon-baba; Lyn knew that she would also go and tell her husband about their arrival. The thought of having to see Yune again after almost a year of separation made Lyn's annoyance rise, but she couldn't avoid him this time. All she could do was sit with everyone else on the dusty, hard floor and eat cold flatbreads dotted with scallions to stave away their hunger while they waited--Father and Mother, waiting was all she had done lately!

"Lyn?" Florina whispered, at her side like always. Lyn shook her head, trying to hide her warming face from her best friend. To use Father Sky and Mother Earth's names in such a way made her feel ashamed of herself. No matter how stressed she was, that wasn't right.

A familiar sound floated into the room; metal dancing with modest grace against metal, a sound every Lorca believed was the sound of stars, the sound of legends being imprinted upon Father Sky's night-shrouded cloak. With a shiver of anticipation Lyn rose, knowing without having to turn her head that Florina was doing the same. She glanced at Kent and Wil, who were sitting on the other side of Sain's prone body, a little relieved when they both followed her movements even though Wil couldn't hide the confusion on his face. It wasn't as if they had to; they weren't Sacaean, they weren't Lorca, and no one would blame them for being ignorant. But it was good they did, because Lyn knew of no other in Elibe who deserved such respect.

Oyon-baba, grandmother of the Lorca, entered the room.

She was not an old woman, though Lyn didn't know her age; rather, she was a timeless one. Her long, white hair was plaited in the old-fashioned style and she wore loose robes because the knuckles of her fingers were swollen, but Lyn had never once seen her dark green eyes dull with age or indecision, her smile that of a person who truly knows the answers to life's questions. Lyn's father may have been the chieftain of the Lorca, but Oyon-baba--the honorific from an insult some foreigner in Bulgar gave to her for standing in his way, an insult transformed into the Lorca's highest title--was its soul.

She stopped, and so did the sound. Lyn never knew what made that sound, and every time she had asked she had received a different answer until she had given up. "Ah, Lyn," she said in her melodic, soft tones; inside, Lyn felt warmth spread within her as she always did at the sound of Oyon-baba's voice. "You look...alive."

Lyn didn't know what to make of that pause, as she knew that Oyon-baba's every word had a certain heft to it. She didn't want to think it was an insult, and so she took it as gracefully as she could, bowing her head in honest acceptance. "Oyon-baba, I wouldn't have come here normally, but it was an emergency. My friend--"

Oyon-baba nodded once, and the words stilled on Lyn's tongue. "This young man here, a son of Roland?" The woman moved with deliberate steps, kneeling just above Sain's head and placing her hands first along the sides of his head, then down to his shoulders. "Treated by the Kutolah," and there was a distinct strain edging along her words.

Lyn flinched. "Oyon-baba?"

"Don't worry about it," Oyon-baba murmured, her gnarled hands working at Sain's injured collarbone. "I'm sure you did what you had to do. Unfortunately, his initial treatment was not properly done. It would be a wonder if he recovered full use of his entire arm after this."

"Will he live?" Lyn asked. Oyon-baba seemed to pause, her hands making their way back to his temples, before nodding once.

"His body is weakened, but he is young and his soul has not fled his body yet. Hmm..." One wrinkled hand touched his throat, then moved down just below his ribcage. "There is a buildup of wind energy...a wind affinity, I take it? Father Sky, Mother Earth. There is someone of the anima affinity with you."

Kent stepped forward, and if Lyn didn't know any better she would've said he looked slightly bewildered. "That would be me, ma'am."

"Hmm...I see. I'd like your help in preparing a small ritual. His inner affinity is ready to consume him. If that happens, he will not recover. You'll be needed to lend balance to him." Withdrawing her hands, Oyon-baba laid them flat on her lap. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kent said, though Lyn could tell he was feeling unsure. There had been magic-users in Caelin who had attacked them during their escape, but she didn't think he knew anything about Sacaean rituals. "What would you have me do?"

"Wait a moment." Oyon-baba turned to Lyn. "Between you and the archer, there's too much wind in this room. I'll need you to leave...but if the snow flower wants, she can stay." At this, Lyn grinned at Florina, who ducked her head at being noticed.

"N-no, I'll go too..."

Chuckling, Oyon-baba shook her head. "At least some things haven't changed. Go now, Lyn will show you the way." As Lyn, Florina, and Wil began to leave the wide room, Lyn heard the woman say to Kent, "It would be nice if you could take off that armor."

"Yes, forgive my rudeness." This was followed by buckles being undone.

"Well, that is not exactly what I meant, but it will have to do..." and then Lyn closed the door, but not before she caught Wil's glance back at the room they had just left. She smiled; Florina had acted the same way during her first stay with the Lorca years ago.

"She's amazing, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she has a good feeling. I don't really know how to explain it, but it's good." Wil smiled for a moment, then he shook his head. "But how did she know we were with the Kutolah?"

Lyn shrugged. "I don't know. She's told me before that she can see things other people can't, and I'm sure she knows all the seasonal movements of every tribe."

"See things other people can't?" Crossing his arms, he nodded slowly. "I get it. It's like how she knew I was a wind affinity. And then there was that whole thing with Sain and the ritual, too. She's something like a magic-user, right?"

Lyn was about to say something when she noticed a flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye--Florina shaking her head. "N-not really...she's not like Erk or Lord Pent. She doesn't have, um...Fiora called it 'magical residue.' Grandmother is...something else, k-kind of..."

"'Magical residue'?" Wil smiled. "Wow, I don't know what that is, but it sounds mysterious. So you know stuff like that, huh? Pegasus knights must all be pretty smart then."

Blushing, Florina shook her head. "I-it's not...I-I'm still in training..." _Florina never could take a compliment_, Lyn thought in amusement as she put her arm around the smaller girl.

"Okay, let's get out of this hallway. There's another room down this way." Lyn put Florina in front of her and they all began walking, single-file, down the narrow corridor until they reached another doorway. She barely remembered it, as she had only voluntarily entered this place twice before, but this other room was more cluttered than she remembered it. That was another good thing about the nomadic lifestyle: she knew to take only what was necessary, and she was very neat with what little she did own. It seemed that Yune and the others were forgetting that, judging by the number of wooden chests and the couple dolls strewn around the small table and cushions in the middle of the room--it seemed Kana and her daughter, Tai, had been here when Lyn had begun knocking on the door. There were stairs that led to the second floor, but she had never let herself get that far.

The three of them sat on the cushions, but barely a moment had passed before Wil began talking again. "So, this was where you lived when you ran into Kent and Sain, huh?"

"No," Lyn said, frowning. "I lived in my ger a short ride south."

"Why didn't you live here?"

Sometimes Lyn really wished Wil wasn't always so quick to ask questions. Later she should tell him the story of Wassan and the clever snake. "Before the attack, the Lorca was a plains-dwelling tribe just like the Kutolah. I wasn't going to give up any part of my heritage just because it would've been easier for me."

"Oh?" Wil looked around the room. "So, who else lives here?"

"Other than Oyon-baba and Kana, there's Kana's husband, Yune, and their daughter, Tai." Lyn looked away, feeling disturbed. "That's it."

"That's what's left of the Lorca?"

With narrowed eyes, Lyn looked at the yellow wall past Wil's head. "No, I'm what's left of the Lorca. I'm the only one who can't forget that my family, that everyone died. I'm the only one doing something about it." She could feel Florina's eyes on her, could remember their last conversation before Florina returned to Ilia even better, but all she could feel inside of her was a wound that would not begin to heal until the splinter that was the Taliver had been burned away.

There was a strange look on Wil's face before determination set in. "That's why Lyndis' Legion has to stay together, right?"

"Right," Lyn said, smiling a little as Florina nodded her agreement. "Once Sain has recovered, that's when we'll strike."

Wil's smile became smaller. "Yeah. Sain's going to be okay, so..." She watched him glance at her, and when he looked away she felt guilty. She knew what was on his mind, because how could she ever forgotten what she was going to do to Sain? How could she ever forget mercy, and murder?

Father Sky, Mother Earth, she was going to hate telling Sain about that.

The uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them was interrupted by two sets of footsteps, one of them shuffling along the unnaturally-hard floor. Kana appeared, holding the hand of her daughter, who Lyn remembered should be celebrating her eighth year this summer but seemed smaller than her age. "Lyn, my husband would like to talk to you," Kana said, her eyes averted.

Lyn stood, hands clenched at her sides until she felt she could calm down the emotions that churned inside her. She knew she would have to talk to him, she knew that, but now it felt like that knowledge was the first summer thunderstorm, new and a little frightening. "Fine." To her friends, she waved and said, "I won't be long."

Wil, who was as usual supremely himself, grinned in return. "Have fun!" She sighed inwardly at this as she left the room, staring apprehensively at the stairs that greeted her further down the hallway. Tall hills and steep mountains were just fine, though she much preferred the flat plains, but this was different. Taking the steps one at a time, she reached the second floor and looked around, then decided there was only one hallway to take. It seemed directly above the first floor's and was just as narrow, except there were more open doorways to peek into.

She found Yune in the last, its lone window allowing the dying sunlight to stain the room with the color of fire.

Once, Yune had been Uncle Yune, her father's childhood friend and second-in-command. When her father had decided to explore Lycia for no reason other than to satisfy his curiosity, Yune had gone with him as far as Khathelet before his horse fell ill to the wet humidity, forcing him to stay behind while her father went on ahead to Caelin. He had been the first Lorca to meet her mother, and his support for his best friend's new wife had been enough to soothe the few wounded by her father's choice in women. At her birth, he had performed in all the ceremonies, dressing in wolf furs to resemble a monster for her father to scare away, preparing the smoke that was Father Sky's breath under Oyon-baba's discretion. He took her on walks when her parents were busy, taught her about the edible and poisonous herbs of each region of the plains, and sparred with her once her father had decided she was ready to take up the sword. She loved her Uncle Yune.

It was Yune she hated.

That Yune was before her, sitting down on worn blankets with a straw mat in front of him. To Lyn it seemed like he had been writing before she entered, the scraps of paper on the mat filled with numbers. He looked up at her when she had entered, his gaze steady, and with the raisin-brown bandana covering his short hair he looked the same as always. It made her wonder--how was she supposed to feel about that? How was she supposed to feel about the fact that he refused to change when all that had happened to them was change?

"Lyn," he said, his tone neutral.

She nodded. That was all she could give him. "Yune." His brows furrowed as if her presence was already annoying him, and that in turned annoyed her.

"Sit."

Shaking her head, Lyn asked, "What did you want?"

"To see you."

"Then, are you done?"

Yune paused, his face now clear of any emotion. "Your friend will need to stay here to recover. You and your other friends can stay as well."

"...I appreciate it," Lyn said slowly, pinpricks of suspicion biting into her skin. "We'll only stay until he's well again."

"Yes." Again, his frown returned. "In return, we'll need payment."

Lyn flinched. It felt like she had just been struck in the face, and her first reaction was anger. "Is that your new Sacaean way? Have you adapted so easily to the Bulgar way, where only money forms the bonds between people?" He looked ready to say something, but she forged on, indignation a fierce, sword-making heat in the pit of her stomach. "Fine. I don't want to be indebted to you anyway."

He had the nerve to look frustrated. "It's necessary."

"It's always necessary in the city."

"Could the five of us have been a plains-dwelling tribe again?"

That he could speak to her with such heavy sarcasm strangely calmed her. He wasn't worth her time after all. However, she couldn't resist saying what had been on her mind during those six months by herself on the plains, the anger she had withheld from the remnants of her tribe coming forth with only the barest thought. "You weren't ever willing to lead a tribe. You were content with standing beside my father. But you couldn't stand beside a woman who was ready to lead, could you?"

He stared at her, his lips a flat line. "I don't see a woman before me. I see a child."

It was all she could do to only jab a finger at him. "I won't be told that by a coward," she snarled, and when he looked at her with wide eyes she knew she had him. "Father depended on you. He trusted you. It wasn't your fault your family was with Oyon-baba in the city when it happened, but when I found you and told you what I was going to do you turned your head and walked away. I waited in my ger the entire winter for you to remember yourself, to remember what it means to be Lorca, but like the coward you are you never came.

"Now it's summer again. The Taliver aren't trapped in the mountains anymore. They can go about freely, killing and raping without anyone willing to stop them. We could've gathered lots of people here and destroyed the Taliver in the winter, but you turned your back on your tribe and now the Taliver are still out there, ready and willing to hurt others. You shameless coward, you..." She swiped her arm over her eyes even though she knew it was useless, that she couldn't stop her tears anymore than she could've stopped the Taliver by herself that horrible night. "Maybe I'm a child, but at least I'm not the one who turned his back on his tribe! At least I'm not the coward who has to depend on a child to avenge his best friend! But it's fine for you to do nothing because your family is still alive!"

"Lyn!" Yune rose to his feet, his face no longer an impassive, emotionless mask. He was angry now, but no matter how angry he was Lyn was angrier, she had been angrier for a long time while he did nothing at all.

"Don't worry, you won't have to do anything. I'll earn the money and I'll avenge the Lorca. This _child_ can do that much." With those words hanging between them she left the room, knowing that Yune wouldn't follow her. Yune wouldn't do anything at all. She had waited so long in the cold of winter for him to regain his senses, to remember his pride as one of the Lorca, but she had waited in vain.

He had never had any of that to begin with.

-0-

After a light meal of dumplings packed with seasoned mutton and its steaming juices along with more thin flatbreads, all washed down with the spiced teas popular to Bulgar, Lyn found herself anxious to repay her debt as soon as possible. Though she had wanted some time to herself after her argument with Yune, who remained upstairs throughout dinner, she couldn't help but feel better when her friends moved to join her when she began stepping into her boots after the meal. With Kent on her left, Florina on her right, and Wil moving wherever he pleased--including in front of them, walking backwards until he tripped over a long, carved stick someone had left behind in the road--and the cool, dry night breeze, it was almost perfect.

It was too silent whenever they passed by groups of giggling Sacaean girls, though.

Lyn thought she had remembered the freelancer mercenary office at the row of buildings just before the city gates; Florina knew the pegasus knight office was around the same area and wanted to send a note back to Ilia as well as update her location for their records. With the falling night it wasn't crowded, and so Kent's moderate tone seemed unnaturally loud as he asked, "Have you given any thought as to how many missions we should complete?"

"Ah...I only want to do one or two. All of us together, of course," she answered. Kent nodded, apparently satisfied.

"It's going to be our first real mission as Lyndis' Legion," Wil piped up. "I mean, if you ignore all the times we've been attacked everywhere we go."

"With all the experience we've earned in those fights, a mercenary job should be easy enough." Lyn smiled at Florina, her best friend's hunched shoulders showing that she was fretting over something. At those words Florina looked up, her wide-eyed look easy to see with the few lights set up against the buildings. "This is going to be the real start of your path to being as good a pegasus knight as your oldest sister," Lyn continued.

Florina smiled back. "A-actually, I've been logging our past battles too, since Fiora said it was okay..."

"How is she doing?" Kent asked. Lyn noticed, with some confusion, how Florina beamed at the question.

"She's doing very well...um, recently she was made into the commander of the fifth wing. She used to be the vice-commander, but the last commander died..."

"Um, I can't remember, but is she your only sister?" Wil asked. Florina shook her head, her thick locks of hair brushing against Lyn's arm, leaving behind a vaguely ticklish sensation that reminded Lyn of the wind brushing across her bare skin as they rode across the plains summers ago.

"No, there's also Farina." Florina's voice sounded smaller, sadder, and Lyn put her hand on her best friend's shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. "I-it's okay, I...just haven't seen her in a long time..."

Wil coughed, looking down. "Hey, I'm sorry. Stupid me always shooting my mouth off, huh..."

"N-no, it's okay!" Looking down, Florina said in a tiny voice that Lyn thought only she could hear, "It's really okay..."

Before the silence between them could stretch on for too long, Kent pointed ahead at the light streaming out of an open doorway. "Would that be our destination?"

"I'll go check!" Wil announced before he sprinted down the path; Lyn couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to run away from the awkward moment, and she shook her head in amused exasperation. What was more of a surprise was when Florina moved away from her side.

"I've got to go to the pegasus knight office, so..." Lyn waved her away with a smile, watching her friend walk ahead in her slightly gawky, uncoordinated way. Compared to when they first met, now Florina showed her true grace in the air; Lyn could remember the show Florina had unwittingly put on for the Lorca months before that horrible night, how Florina had swooped, spun, and bucked in the summer sky as if she had been a plainsman breaking in a wild horse. How embarrassed she had been when she had landed to cheers!

The force of the memory was like a punch to the gut, and Lyn only just remembered to catch herself from showing her weakness. "Milady?" she heard Kent say, his voice tinged with worry, and she quickly shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said, her voice a little rougher, a little more dishonest than she would've liked. Sacaeans don't lie, but over the years she knew that they all had things they preferred to keep to themselves--her included. "Please don't worry about me," she told him with a smile she meant to be comforting. The fact that his expression didn't noticeably change made her wonder if she had been successful.

"As you like." With the light that was available, she could see him pause, as if he were considering something. "Lady Lyndis, do you truly believe that woman's diagnosis?"

"Whose? Oyon-baba's?" Lyn laughed. "She's almost more reliable than day and night. Don't worry, Sain will be fine."

"If you say so, then I'm relieved to hear it. Although, the ritual she had me perform with her..."

Lyn laughed harder, drawing what she almost imagined was a long-suffering glance from him. "Sacaean rituals are nothing like what you have in Caelin, right?"

She heard him sigh. "Apparently."

"But if she said it was necessary, then it must be true. All we have to do is wait for Sain to wake up now." A curl of nervousness twisted inside her stomach at the thought, because her personal honor demanded that she be honest with him, no matter how much it would hurt him. To be hated by Sain...the very thought made her ill.

"Will you tell him?"

It really bothered her that it seemed Kent knew what she was thinking, but she nodded anyway. "I have to. I couldn't hide something like that from him, and I wouldn't want to. He needs to know that this is the 'lady liege' he wanted to serve, so he can make his own decisions..."

"Your sense of honor is admirable," Kent said, his voice quiet.

"Kent?"

"Yes, milady?"

"Why did you..." Lyn pursed her lips, the words she wanted feeling as if they were stuck in her throat. "Why did you really agree to help me then?"

There was nothing from Kent for a long moment, the open doorway so close ahead that he could simply dart in and escape the question if he chose to. She would never pry again if he did so, and she thought they both knew that. "Lady Lyndis, I serve you. Whatever your interests, I will do my best to further them. I suppose that is a poor answer, but I wanted to spare you if at all possible..."

She placed her hand on his upper arm, drawing his attention like a sudden moment would draw a wary look from any creature of the plains. "Kent, I appreciate it, but you can't save me from my mistakes." With a smile, she lowered her hand. "Let's go see if Wil found us a job, okay?"

"...As you wish," and neither of them said anything further as they entered the open office. Wil was in front of a desk, pleading with the burly, baldheaded man behind it.

"Oh, come on! There has to be a job--ah, there you are!" Wil waved them over. "Lyn, this guy says that he doesn't have any jobs for a group as small as ours. I told him we even have a pegasus knight and I think we're pretty good, but still--"

"Look, I don't care if you have the general of the pegasus knights herself, I don't have any jobs for you," the bald man nearly growled. Lyn pulled Wil by his shoulder away from the desk, putting herself right in front of the desk and forcing the bald man to focus on her.

"I'm the leader of this group," she introduced herself. "We may be a small one, but we've been tested and we're very experienced. We'll take on a job meant for a larger group and succeed, I swear it."

The bald man looked like he was calming down. "I do have a job if you put it that way, but..." He gave her a piercing, considering look that she appreciated little more than the leers she had received in Aquleia's arena. "Are you of the Bulgar tribe?"

Lyn stared at him. "I'm of the Lorca."

"Oh, sorry, I just figured because you're mixed..."

"It's fine." It wasn't in a way, but that was only because she knew the plains as her true home.

"Anyway, I'm sorry, but I can't. You're what, fifteen, sixteen? And those guys with you don't look much older. This mission is much too important to give to a new group." He was shaking his head when Lyn decided to just give in and try tomorrow instead.

"Thank you for your help," she said, turning to leave. A Sacaean man dressed in clothes that Lyn couldn't recognize strode through the door and ran into her, pushing her into Wil, who barely managed to catch her around the shoulders. To make it worse, the man glared at her like it was her fault before his gaze lowered--what was he looking at! "Shouldn't you apologize?" Lyn snapped, disgusted when his eyes widened at whatever part of her he was staring at.

"...I-it was my error," he stammered out before turning away from her. Irritated, she hurried out just as the man began arguing with the bald man, nearly running into Florina just past the door.

"Sorry!" Lyn cried out as she reached out to steady Florina, who almost fell over from her attempt in dodging Lyn.

Florina bit her lip as she glanced past Lyn, at the open doorway. "It didn't go very well...?"

"There's always tomorrow," Lyn said, trying to sound as optimistic as possible. The feeling lasted until she felt someone tap her shoulder, only to find herself face-to-face with the man who had leered at her just moments ago. "...What do you want?"

"You're the new wielder of the Mani Katti, am I right?"

Lyn blinked. "Yes, that's me. You know about it?"

"We heard a rumor about a young Sacaean plainswoman being able to draw it. I was surprised to see it hanging on your belt." The man looked around at her friends, then back at her. "If Father Sky has chosen to bestow upon you the power of one of his eyes, then we can do no less. We of the Bulgar tribe have a job for you, if you want it."

She only had to glance at the faces of her friends to know that they all felt the same way she did. "Tell us more."

-0-

Wil thought to himself this: _What am I doing here?_

He knew why--he _had_ been paying attention, really--but it was just something he'd gotten used to asking himself ever since he left Lycia that very first time, when he was twelve and believed that somewhere out there was gold just waiting for him. All he had to do was get out of his nameless little village and take it for himself! And, well, there kind of was if he was willing to work for it, and he saved it up so he could show his parents that, yeah, he actually had done something with his life for the last four years, and then he got mugged and suddenly he just--y'know? It was like all his efforts from the last four years was nothing in the end.

That's not _fair_.

He was still struggling with that, and he knew it was part of the reason why he'd been clinging to the whole idea of Lyndis' Legion; safety in numbers, if they would only stop being attacked. And with Sain and all...well, it wasn't really that safe, huh?

And...there was something off about Lyn. Not that he knew her really well like Florina did, but just things about her recently had been bugging him. He just couldn't put it into words. He kind of thought the other Sacaeans, the last Lorca, knew that too and that was why all of them except for the grandma were keeping their distance from her. He still felt he could trust her, because Lyn at her best was really kind and nice and strong, but...

Well, he wasn't going to leave. He was going to do his best to help her, what little he could do. That's what it meant to be the perfect support, right?

Things were okay right now; they were out of Bulgar, but pretty close by. Apparently, the holy bow Miurge--Lyn said it meant something like 'shooting stars' in the old Sacaean language--was hidden in some ancient booby-trapped shrine deep underground. However, some greedy, rich son of a Bernese noble wanted it for his weapon collection, so he'd gone around and hired some top-notch mercenaries, including a pegasus knight, to plunder the shrine. The Bulgar tribe didn't want to charge in with all their forces because not only did they want to keep the location of the legendary weapon a secret, they also didn't want to start an international incident with Bern. So, that was where Lyndis' Legion came in.

It wasn't a bad mission, not that he'd gone on so many of them before. It was protecting something. Wil could totally get behind that. He kind of had a bad taste in his mouth when he thought about helping Lyn annihilate the Taliver bandits, though he thought he shouldn't because they'd killed Lyn's parents and tribe. The world wasn't like the way he thought it'd been when he was twelve, and he guessed it never had been. Maybe 'an eye for an eye' _was_ the best way.

"They're already there," he heard Lyn say; they were riding Sain's horse and for once he didn't feel like his life was in danger, even though it was kind of weird holding onto her waist. Still better than riding with Florina; he had clung to the sides of the saddle and tried not to look down or scare her, which basically meant he barely _breathed_ the entire time. The problem with riding with Lyn was, he'd noticed the looks Kent and Florina had been giving him and they were weird ones, like they were checking up on him or something. So, he already decided he was going to ride back with Kent rather than deal with that again.

Looking past Lyn's swaying ponytail proved that she was right; he could see a few people--two on horseback, one not--at the cliff face that was the entrance to the shrine of Miurge. "Yeah, I see them," he replied. "Should we dismount now?"

"Yes," she said, slowing down the horse. He jumped down when it was safe and she looped the reins around the trunk of some scraggly old tree. Florina swooped low and Kent trotted back, everyone ready to receive their orders. Wil was feeling nervous already, that pre-battle worry that he was going to mess everything up and they'd all lose because of him--that usually went away, oh, near the end of the battle. Not that he was going to admit that to anyone!

"Florina, I want you to take the first one on horseback, and Kent takes the other one. Wil and I will go for the foot mercenary." Lyn glared at the mercenaries at the cliff side, the sight of her annoyance on her profile really striking to Wil. "Where's the pegasus knight? Anyway, as soon as she comes out, Wil should--"

"I know," he interrupted. He knew that arrows were a pegasus knight's worst fear because of the way Florina looked at him sometimes, when he had his bow drawn. Like now, actually. It kind of made him wish he'd chosen a different weapon. "I don't think they've noticed us, so..."

Lyn nodded. "Let's go."

Of course, Wil knew he'd been wrong when the three mercenaries faced them down as they charged along the red-brown cracked earth, but it didn't matter because Lyndis' Legion wasn't going to lose! He forced down all his nervousness as he stayed a few feet behind Lyn, waiting for an open shot as she clashed with the sword-wielding mercenary while watching his back to make sure he didn't get speared by the horse-riding mercenaries. He really wanted higher ground or a forest to hide in, but he had to settle for his own speed as he awkwardly ducked a spear aimed for his head, twisting his ankle in the process--but better his ankle than his hand, right?

It was somewhere around actually being able to fire off an arrow at the mercenary Lyn was fighting and hearing the soldier Kent was fighting gurgle up blood when Wil noticed the pegasus knight coming in from the east, Kent's side. Nocking an arrow, Wil watched the easy grace of the pegasus knight as she slowly turned towards Kent's direction, the pegasus' full wingspan out in a controlled glide. By then Kent had killed the mercenary he had been fighting and was breathing hard, bleeding from his left arm.

_It's funny the things you notice_, Wil thought as he watched the pegasus knight pull out a javelin. With all his strength he drew the bowstring, aiming for the pegasus' right wing. From her height, the pegasus knight would probably die from the fall--

He bit his lip. _I can't think about that._

And he also shouldn't have thought about the way her short blue hair was tousled by the wind, how a lock flew upward like exaggerated surprise just as he fired the arrow, but he did anyway. If he could think about nothing at all, if he could feel nothing at all every time he let loose an arrow, maybe he'd be a better mercenary archer.

But he couldn't. Because every arrow has a meaning. Because every _life_ has a meaning. Because--

"Noooo! Sister! FARINA!"

--you see?

-to be continued-

I love writing from Wil's POV, probably because it feels so very refreshing at this point. The next time it shows up is a moment I've been replaying in my head for years now, so I'm growing more excited the closer I get to it, though it's not for a while. Which reminds me that I should make a more concrete schedule for this fic; I want to finish the Sacae/Revenge arc before NaNoWriMo. The next update will be on 9/11...huh.

Some comments:

-Yune is an OC who first appeared late in Shadows Under the Oak Tree, more just to connect that story to the timeline of the game than a character in his own right. Of course, things are going to be different here. All other OCs are tied to this fic only.

-According to Rutger in FE6, much of the Bulgar tribe is mixed, mostly with Bernese blood. Sacaean traits (dark green hair/eyes) are dominant except in the rare case of Rutger, something which saved his life when the Bern army began the Bulgar Massacre. I'm thinking that Lyn was created with this in mind to show what is typical of mixed Sacaeans.

-The flatbreads with chopped scallions are _Cong You Bing_, a Northern Chinese staple which you can find at any place that serves Chinese Islamic food. Think of them as Chinese tortillas. Northern Chinese food shares some qualities with Mongolian food, and since Sacae is an analogue of Mongolia it seemed appropriate to me.

-Adding to that, I've basically followed the games' direction when it comes to naming Sacaeans, but Oyon is a Mongolian name--it means 'wisdom.'

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to send me your comments and questions!


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